THE  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


NINETEENTH  REGIMENT 


OF 

MAINE  VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 

1862-1865, 

BY 

JOHN  DAY  SMITH 

LATE  A  CORPORAL  IN  COMPANY  P 


PREPARED  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  THE 

NINETEENTH   MAINE   REGIMENTAL 
ASSOCIATION 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  WRITTEN   BY 
BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL 

ALEXANDER  S.  WEBB 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINNESOTA 

PRINTED  BY 

THE  GREAT  WESTERN  PRINTING  COMPANY 
1909 


.5 


COPYRIGHT,    1909 

BY 
JOHN    DAY    SMITH, 

MINNEAPOLIS. 


THIS  VOLUME   IS  REVERENTLY  DEDICATED 

TO   THE 

OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS 
OF  THE  NINETEENTH   MAINE  REGIMENT 

OF 

INFANTRY  VOLUNTEERS 

TO  THE  LIVING  AND  THE  DEAD, 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

THEIR    SACRIFICES,    THEIR    BRAVERY,    THEIR    SUFFER- 
INGS  AND  THEIR  DEATH 


M2089G8 


J£** 


Colonel   Francis  E.  Heath. 


INTRODUCTION 


Hon.  John  Day  Smith, 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 

My  Dear  Judge  Smith: 

It  is  not  only  a  high  compliment  to  be  asked  to  write  a 
few  words  of  introduction  to  the  history  of  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  Volunteers,  a  typical  Second  Division,  Second  Corps 
Regiment,  but  it  is  to  me  a  welcomed  opportunity  to  express, 
nearly  fifty  years  after  the  severance  of  the  ties  that  were  char 
acterized  by  mutual  confidence  and  respect,  the  admiration  and 
esteem  I  have  on  every  occasion  endeavored  to  manifest 
when  I  have  recalled  your  patriotism  and  sacrifices. 

A  history  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  is  a  history  of  the  army 
of  the  Potomac.  A  record  of  your  deeds  is  the  record  of  the 
patriotic  services  of  the  highest  type  of  the  Union  Volunteers. 
It  was  to  such  as  you  that  was  due  the  final  obliteration  of  the 
false  impression  that  the  northern  farmer  or  mechanic,  school 
teacher  or  lawyer  could  not  be  made  the  equal  of  any  soldier  in 
the  world. 

You  proved  your  capacity  and  your  personal  bravery  on 
every  opportunity,  at  every  encounter  with  your  enemies,  and 
you  were  appreciated  and  honored  by  your  associates. 

When,  at  Gettysburg,  July  3rd,  1863,  my  Brigade  was 
almost  overwhelmed,  you  and  the  remainder  of  the  Second  Di 
vision,  came  to  the  midst  of  that  fearful  struggle  and  carnage, 
and  made  good  the  resolve,  that  none  of  that  15,000  self-confi 
dent  misguided  Corps  of  Rebels  should  come  within  our  lines, 
saye  as  prisoners  and  without  arms.  Without  earthworks, 
with  silenced  batteries,  you  withstood  the  final  attack  as  we 
knew  you  would,  and  you  joined  in  the  final  triumph. 

Your  historian  will  teM  the  story  of  this,  our  first  service 
together,  and  however  strong  may  be  his  claim  for  the  recog- 


nition  of  this  most  opportune  and  most  necessary  support,  rest 
assured  that  I,  as  commander  of  the  Second  Brigade,  remain  a 
grateful  and  willing  witness  to  your  efficient  and  gallant  support. 

Well  do  I  remember  your  coming  on  the  run,  upon  the 
field  of  battle  at  Bristoe  Station,  in  the  afternoon  of  October 
1 4th,  1863.  For  sixty  hours,  with  only  six  hours  retf,  you  had 
either  been  in  line  of  battle,  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  or 
hurrying  north  by  forced  marches.  General  Lee  was  trying  to 
get  between  the  old  Second  Corps  and  the  rest  of  the  army,  and 
then  hoped  to  fall  upon  us,  thus  separated.  I  was  then  in 
command  of  your  Division,  and  General  Warren  commanded  the 
Corps — General  Hancock  being  absent  by  reason  of  his  Gettys 
burg  wound.  Your  Brigade,  with  Arnold's  Rhode  Island  Bat 
tery,  led  the  Corps  on  that  day's  march,  and  your  Colonel  Heath 
commanded  the  Brigade.  You  arrived  none  too  soon.  You 
ran  into  position  beside  the  railroad,  the  right  of  the  Brigade 
resting  near  Broad  Run.  The  Rebel  Brigades  of  Cooke  and 
Kirkland  of  Heth's  Division,  Hill's  Corps,  consisting  of  nine 
regiments  of  North  Carolina  troops,  supported  by  Davis'  and 
Walker's  Brigades  of  eight  regiments  more,  of  Mississippi 
and  Virginia  soldiers  of  the  same  Division,  were  already  charg 
ing  down  upon  the  position  held  by  your  own  and  the  Third 
Brigade  of  our  Division.  The  enemy  reached  the  railroad  in 
front  of  your  Brigade,  but  the  Rebel  soldiers  were  driven  back 
with  shot  and  bayonet  and  your  Regiment  captured  the  flag  of 
the  Twenty-second  North  Carolina  Regiment  and  a  number  of 
prisoners.  Heth's  Division  lost,  according  to  their  own  ad 
mission,  nearly  one  thousand  men  in  killed  and  wounded, 
besides  many  prisoners  and  five  guns.  You  may  well  look  back 
upon  that  engagement  with  pride. 

From  that  period,  during  the  long  season  of  my  command 
of  the  Second  Division  of  our  Corps,  you  were  with  me  a  valued 
and  efficient  Regiment.  Always  reliable  and  most  trusted,  it 
was  natural  that  1  should  be  gratified  at  your  retention  in  my 
command  when  our  Division  was  consolidated  and  became  the 
First  Brigade  of  the  new  Second  Division. 

But  you  were  destined  to  perform  a  part  in  the  struggle  of 
the  Wilderness  which  was  of  so  great  importance  to  me,  as  the 

vi 


General  commanding  the  Brigade,  that  to  this  day,  I  think 
with  dismay  of  what  might  have  happened  had  you  not  remain 
ed  alone  as  a  Regiment,  to  stop  the  pursuit  of  the  twelve  Re 
giments  of  my  command  which  had  been,  after  six  hours  of 
bitter  conflict,  outflanked  by  General  Wilcox's  Rebel  Division. 

I  talked  over  this  half  days  contention  with  General 
Wilcox,  several  times  during  the  first  ten  years  after  the  war, 
and  he  always  spoke  of  the  splendid  fighting  qualities  of  my 
Brigade;  since  we,  holding  the  right  of  the  Corps,  without  the 
Commander  of  our  Division  to  appeal  to  for  more  support, 
were  made  the  point  of  attack  by  Field's  Division  on  our  left 
front  and  Wilcox's  Division  on  our  main  front  and  right.  We 
held  it  until  I  was  ordered  to  leave  you  to  go  to  the  left  and  to 
try  to  rally  the  broken  Regiments  of  the  Brigade  of  another 
Division,  which  was  falling  back  before  Longstreet's  midday 
attack. 

It  was  an  unfortunate  order  and  it  was  followed  by  a  more 
injurious  and  improper  order  i.  e.  the  order  for  you  to  break 
the  line  you  had  so  strongly  held,  and  to  charge  the  reinforced 
lines  of  the  enemy.  That  order  caused  the  repulse  of  May  6th. 

During  my  absence  of  about  fifteen  minutes,  General  Wads- 
worth,  who  had  assumed  command  of  the  right,  had  ordered 
this  charge  and  had  fallen,  leading  my  men. 

I  came  from  the  left  front  and  found  my  line  in  possession 
of  the  Rebels;  but,  on  the  plank  road,  formed  across  it,  was  the 
Nineteenth  Maine  under  Colonel  Connor. 

What  a  grand  sight  that  was!  Your  Regiment  was  to 
hold  back  that  Rebel  advance  and  I  had  the  opportunity  to 
be  with  you. 

No  wonder  that  General  Wilcox  concluded  that  a  new  line 
of  battle  had  been  formed — no  wonder  that  the  Rebels  halted 
to  prepare  a  strong  attack  on  the  men  they  had  fought  for  five 
hours  without  success. 

The  Nineteenth  Maine  remained  at  that  point  until  time 
had  been  allowed  to  remove  Colonel  Connor,  and  the  other 
wounded,  to  the  Brock  Road;  and  then,  under  my  order,  the 
Regiment  left  like  skirmishers,  and  came  to  the  remainder  of 
the  Brigade  from  the  front.  It  was  a  noble  service. 

vii 


Of  the  charges  and  fighting  on  the  several  days  up  to  the 
1 2th  of  May,  others  will  write.  I  must  be  allowed  to  add  that  I  was 
wounded  near  your  Regiment  in  the  morning  charge  at  the 
Angle  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House  and  I  do  not  think  it 
is  possible  to  ask  of  any  troops  to  perform  a  more  hazardous 
duty  than  to  charge  those  fully  manned,  strong,  wejl  protected 
breastworks.  You  took  them  as  I  was  carried  back. 

May  these  few  words  remind  you  of  my  service  with  you— 
remind  you  of  one  who  was  and  is  proud  of  his  association 
with  you. 

ALEXANDER   S.   WEBB, 
BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  U.  S.  A.  AND  U.  S.  V. 
New  York  City,  January  2nd,  1909. 


\  in 


PREFACE 

A  History  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  Regiment  was  discussed 
in  the  reunions  of  the  Regimental  Association  more  than 
twenty  years  ago.  Spasmodic  efforts  were  made  from  time 
to  time  to  have  a  history  of  the  organization  written  and  printed, 
but  nothing  tangible  came  of  it.  Sergeant  Silas  Adams,  the 
long  time  Secretary  of  the  Regimental  Association,  began  to 
speak  and  work  for  the  history  many  years  ago.  The  great 
difficulty  has  been  that  when  members  of  the  old  Regiment  who 
were  qualified  to  prepare  a  history  became  interested  in  the 
project,  they  sickened  and  died.  Had  Captain  Charles  E. 
Nash  lived,  the  work  should  and  probably  would  have  been 
undertaken  by  him.  He  was  best  equipped  for  this  labor. 

Some  five  or  six  years  ago  the  Regimental  Association 
decided  that  a  history  should  be  prepared  by  the  different  mem 
bers  of  the  old  organization,  and  funds  solicited  for  the  print 
ing  and  binding  of  the  same.  Certain  periods  of  our  army 
service  were  assigned  to  different  men.  A  very  few  of  these 
assignments  were  prepared,  some  of  the  men  who  were  to  write 
died  before  completing  their  work  and  some  were  too  busy  to 
undertake  the  task.  The  author  was  appealed  to  and  urged 
to  take  these  contributions,  fill  up  the  gaps  made  by  the  miss 
ing  assignments,  make  the  necessary  corrections  and  prepare  a 
history  of  the  Regiment.  After  going  over  the  material,  he 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a  hopeless  task. 
A  history  thus  prepared  would  have  been  a  medley — a  hodge 
podge — having  neither  uniformity,  continuity  nor  coherence. 
Different  writers  varied  greatly  in  their  recollection  of  events, 
in  their  appreciation  of  certain  crises  in  the  history  of  the  Regi 
ment  and  in  their  estimation  of  the  service  and  ability  of  com 
manding  officers. 

The  author  then  went  to  Washington  and  examined 
all  of  the  original  records  of  the  Regiment.  Two  years 
ago  he  began  the  preparation  of  this  volume,  and  from 

ix 


such  time  as  he  has  been  able  to  take  from  his  somewhat 
arduous  official  duties,  he  has  prepared  and  submits  this  history 
t  his  former  comrades  in  arms. 

Many  of  the  men  of  the  Regiment  who  were  unjustly 
reported  as  deserters  the  author  has  traced  into  Confederate 
prisons,  where  some  of  them  died.  • 

It  is  not  claimed  that  the  Roster  of  the  Regiment,  which 
appears  at  the  end  of  the  volume,  is  entirely  accurate,  but  it  is 
urged  with  some  degree  of  assurance  that  it  is  more  nearly  cor 
rect  than  anything  which  has  ever  been  printed. 

Hundreds  of  letters  have  been  written  in  the  preparation 
of  this  work.  The  replies  to  those  letters  would  convince  one, 
if  proof  were  necessary,  that  the  survivors  of  the  Regiment  are 
growing  old.  Inability  to  recall  events  that  a  person  would 
suppose  could  never  be  forgotten  characterize  the  greater  part 
of  the  answers  to  these  letters  of  inquiry. 

The  author  was  fortunate  in  keeping  and  preserving  a 
daily  record  of  important  events,  which  has  been  of  great  service 
to  him  in  this  undertaking. 

General  Selden  Connor  furnished  the  material  for  the 
greater  portion  of  the  chapter  on  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness. 
The  complimentary  allusions  to  himself  in  that  chapter  were 
written  by  the  author.  In  all  other  cases  credit  is  given  for 
material  furnished  and  used. 

The  author  has  been  free  in  his  comments  and  criticisms, 
and  for  these  he  alone  is  responsible.  He  has  not  intentionally 
written  an  unkind  word  with  respect  to  anyone,  nor  has  he 
wished  to  wound  the  susceptibilities  of  any.  He  has  had  in 
mind  the  words  of  General  Grant:  "I  would  like  to  see  a 
truthful  history  written.  Such  a  history  will  do  full  credit  to 
the  courage,  endurance  and  ability  of  the  American  citizen,  no 
matter  what  section  he  hail  from  or  in  what  ranks  he  fought." 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work  some  material  was  collected 
which  is  not  pertinent  to  a  history  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine. 
The  author  has  regarded  it  as  of  sufficient  interest  to  the  people 
of  Maine  to  insert  the  same  in  an  Appendix  to  this  volume. 

The  undersigned  desires  to  express  his  sense  of  obligation 
to  Brevet  Major-General  A.  S.  Webb,  of  New  York  City,  for 


his  complimentary  Introduction  to  this  volume;  to  Sergeant 
Silas  Adams,  without  whose  co-operation  this  history  would 
never  have  been  written;  to  the  late  Colonel  I.  W.  Starbird  and 
Captain  Charles  E.  Nash,  for  valuable  information;  to  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  J.  W.  Spaulding,  of  Boston,  whose  diary  cover 
ing  the  last  year  of  the  war  was  placed  by  him  in  the  hands  of 
the  writer;  to  Lieutenant  George  R.  Palmer,  through  whose  aid 
maps  of  the  battlefield  of  Gettysburg  were  obtained,  which  may 
be  found  in  the  chapter  on  Getysburg;  to  Mr.  E.  S.  Hughes, 
for  reading  proof;  to  Mr.  Frank  L.  Bowler,  Court  Reporter,  for 
taking  in  shorthand  and  transcribing  these  pages,  and  to  his 
wife,  Laura  B.  Smith,  who  has  patiently  examined  authorities, 
read  proof  and  verified  tables  and  statistics. 

Conscious  of  typographical  errors  that  have  crept  into  these 
pages,  and  fully  realizing  that  this  volume  may  not  meet  the 
expectations  of  all,  the  author  submits  it  with  some  degree  of 
trepidation  to  his  old  comrades  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  Regi 
ment. 

JOHN  DAY  SMITH. 
Minneapolis,  July  26th,  1909. 


XI 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I. 

Page 

Organization  of  the  Regiment  and  service  in  the 

Forts  around  Washington I 

CHAPTER  II. 

Harper's  Ferry,  Bolivar  Heights  and  the  March 
to    Warrenton    Junction    under    General 
McClellan 14 

CHAPTER  III. 
Battle  of  Fredericksburg 23 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Chancellorsville  Campaign 39 

CHAPTER  V. 
Gettysburg  Campaign 55 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Back  to  the  Rappahannock,  Bristoe  Station, 

Mine  Run  and  Second  Winter  in  Camp 101 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Battle  of  the  Wilderness 129 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Battle  of  Spottsylvania 147 

CHAPTER  IX. 
On  the  North  Anna 1 74 

CHAPTER  X. 
Battles  of  Totopotomoy  and  Cold  Harbor 182 

xiii 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Page 

South  of  the  James  River  and   Battles  in   Front 

of  Petersburg,  June  16-20,  1864 200 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Battle  of  Jerusalem    Plank  Road .206 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Battles  of  Deep  Bottom  and  Strawberry  Plains 221 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Battles  of  Reams'  Station  and  Boydton  Road 231 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Last    Winter    in    Camp    and    Battle   of 

Hatcher's  Run 253 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Prisoners  of  War .  .272 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Appomattox  Campaign .291 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Joyful  Return  Home 309 


Roster  of  the  Regiment 317 

Appendix 353 


xiv 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Colonel  Francis  E.  Heath Frontispiece 

John  Day  Smith,    Historian 18 

Sergeant  Silas  Adams 70 

Pickett's  Charge,  Gettysburg 82 

Regimental  Monument,  Gettysburg 88 

Major  David  E.  Parsons 1 16 

Adoniram  J.  Billings,  Surgeon 124 

Brigadier-General    Selden  Connor,  1864 136 

Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  W.  Spaulding,  1864   138 

Hon.   Selden  Connor,  1905   142 

Brigadier-General  Webb 156 

"Bloody  Angle,"  Spottsylvania,  May   i2th 158 

Captain  Wm.  H.  Fogler  186 

Corporal  John  Day  Smith 208 

Captain  Charles  E .  Nash 238 

Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Isaac  VV.  Starbird.  .306 
Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  W.  Spaulding,  1905 310 


LIST  OF  MAPS 

First  Day's   Battle,  Gettysburg 66 

Second  Day's  Battle,    Gettysburg 72 

Third  Day's    Battle,  Gettysburg 80 

Cavalry  Engagement,  Gettysburg 88 

xv 


CHAPTER  I. 


ORGANIZATION      OF      THE      REGIMENT      AND      SERVICE      IN      THE 
FORTS    AROUND    WASHINGTON. 

War  is  a  terrible  curse.  Some  wars  are  justifiable;  most 
are  not.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion — now  generally  called  the 
Civil  War — was  a  conflict  that  could  not  have  been  avoided  by 
the  North,  except  by  the  giving  up  of  the  old  Union.  Revolu 
tion  or  rebellion  is  justifiable  only  when  the  existing  government 
becomes  oppressive  and  intolerable  or  when  the  rights  of  the 
people  are  disregarded.  Surely  there  was  no  just  ground  for 
rebellion  on  the  part  of  the  Slave  States.  The  prosecution  of 
the  war  on  the  part  of  the  North  was  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Union — the  maintenance  of  the  best  government  in  the 
world.  The  outcome  of  the  war  was  never  seriously  in  doubt, 
except  upon  the  unlikely  contingency  of  the  intervention  of 
foreign  powers.  The  length  of  the  war  depended  upon  the 
skill  or  incompetency  with  which  it  was  prosecuted  by  both 
sides.  The  North  was  rich.  While  money  will  buy  provisions 
and  munitions  of  war,  it  will  not  buy  skillful  leadership.  What 
ever  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  accomplished  in  the  four  years 
of  its  eventful  history,  was  not  won  by  the  military  genius  of 
its  commanders,  but  by  its  own  blood. 

The  war  had  been  in  progress  more  than  a  year  when  the  Nine 
teenth  was  organized.  President  Lincoln  had  issued  two  calls 
for  troops.  Under  the  call  of  April  15,  1861,  75,000  three- 
months  men  had  been  raised.  By  authority  of  the  President's 
proclamation  of  May  3,  1861,  and  acts  of  Congress,  approved 
July  22nd  and  25th,  1861 ,  500,000  volunteers  entered  the  service 
for  three  years.  On  July  2nd,  1862,  there  was  another  demand 
made  for  300,000  men  for  three  years,  and  it  was  under  this 
call  that  Maine  furnished  five  infantry  regiments,  the  Sixteenth, 
Seventeenth,  Eighteenth,  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth.  Author 
ity  for  raising  the  "Nineteenth  of  Maine  Volunteers"  was  con 
tained  in  the  following  General  Order: 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT. 


Headquarters,  Adjutant  General's  Office 
Augusta,  July  8,  1862 


General  Order  No.  18. 


In  pursuance  of  requisition  and  authority  from  tne  President  of 
the  United  States,  the  Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  orders  and 
directs,  that  an  additional  regiment  of  infantry,  for  the  service  of  the 
government,  the  Nineteenth  of  Maine  Volunteers,  to  rendezvous  at 
Bath,  be  raised  and  organized  forthwith.  Instructions  in  detail  are 
prepared  for  recruiting  agents,  who  will  obtain  their  authority,  with 
all  the  requisite  blanks  for  making  enlistments,  from  the  Adjutant 
General  at  Augusta,  and  such  other  persons  as  may  hereafter  be 
designated. 

By   order   of   the    Commander-in-Chief, 

JOHN  L.  HODSDON,  Adjutant  General. 


The  Nineteenth  was  exceptionally  strong  in  many  respects. 
Its  members  were  almost  exclusively  natives  of  Maine.  There 
was  scarcely  a  foreigner  among  its  original  members.  Then 
the  Regiment  was  raised  at  a  time  when  the  idea  so  fondly 
indulged  in  at  first,  that  the  war  would  only  last  a  short  time, 
had  been  thoroughly  dissipated.  Within  two  weeks,  prior  to 
the  time  the  Governor  of  Maine  had  designated  the  Nineteenth 
as  one  of  the  Regiments  to  be  raised  in  Maine,  the  disastrous 
battles  of  Mechanicsville,  Games'  Mill,  Savage  Station  and 
Glendale  had  been  fought  and  McClellan's  army  had  been 
driven  back  from  in  front  of  Richmond,  to  Harrison's  Landing 
on  the  James  river.  From  soldiers,  sick  and  wounded,  return 
ing  from  the  theater  of  war,  the  men  who  constituted  the  Regi 
ment  had  the  opportunity  of  learning  from  the  experience  of 
others,  that  the  war  was  no  holiday  affair.  They  knew  some 
thing  of  what  enlistment  meant  in  hardship  and  suffering. 
Large  bounties  appealing  to  mercenary  motives,  had  not  yet 
been  offered.  Men  who  entered  the  service  at  this  time  were 
generally  prompted  by  patriotism. 

The  men  who  composed  the  Regiment  came  principally 
from  the  counties  of  Somerset,  Kennebec,  Sagadahoc,  Waldo, 
Knox  and  Lincoln.  More  came  from  the  county  of  Waldo 
than  any  other  one  county.  Practically  all  the  men  in  com 
panies  B  and  E,  three-fourths  of  Company  D,  and  one-third  of 


ORGANIZATION   OF   THE    REGIMENT  3 

Company  C,  were  residents  of  Waldo  county.  All  the  counties 
in  the  State,  however,  had  representatives  in  the  Regiment. 

In  the  early  days  of  August,  boys  and  young  men,  in 
squads  and  singly,  were  found  wending  their  way  toward  the 
city  of  Bath,  coming  from  up  and  down  the  Kennebec,  along 
the  sea-shore  from  Bath  to  Thomaston,  and  the  towns  border 
ing  on  the  Penobscot.  These  young  men  came  principally 
from  farms,  but  some  came  from  stores,  factories  and  schools. 
Some  had  already  learned  trades,  others  were  learning  them, 
and  some  few  were  in  professional  life.  The  neat  dress  of  the 
city  fellow,  as  well  as  the  plain  garb  of  the  farmer's  boy,  was 
soon  exchanged  for  the  soldier's  uniform.  Who  will  ever  for 
get  those  trousers,  in  color  somewhere  between  sky  blue  and 
pea  green,  that  did  not  bag  simply  at  the  knees  but  bagged  the 
whole  length?  The  shoes  were  made  for  feet  of  all  shapes  and 
sizes,  but  when  a  soldier  had  selected  a  pair  which  he  thought 
came  nearest  to  his  size,  there  was  always  plenty  of  room  to 
spare  in  all  directions,  except  one  or  two  places  where  they 
pinched.  The  coats  and  blouses  were  of  a  dark  blue,  and  the 
black  hats,  fastened  up  the  side  with  brass  eagles,  were  too 
gaudy  to  describe.  We  began  at  once  to  drill,  perform  guard 
duty,  have  Sunday  inspections,  daily  dress  parades  and,  in  fact, 
learned  to  be  soldiers.  Chaplain  Eliphalet  Whittlesey  rounded 
the  men  up  on  Sundays  and  preached  patriotism  and  religion. 
Colonel  Sewell  also  called  us  together  occasionally  and  talked 
patriotism  and  temperance,  and  urged  us  to  be  loyal,  temperate 
and  religious.  We  had  occasion  to  remember  his  address  on 
temperance  two  or  three  months  later  at  Warrenton. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  commissioned  officers  of  the 
Regiment: 

Frederick  D.  Sewell,  Bath,  Colonel 

Francis  E.  Heath,  Waterville,  Lieutenant-Colonel 

Henry  W.  Cunningham,  Belfast,  Major 

Adoniram  J.  Billings,  Freedom,  Surgeon 

Eliphalet  Whittlesey,  Brunswick,  Chaplain 

James  W.  Wakefield,  Bath,  Quartermaster 

Frank  W.  Haskell,  Waterville,  Adjutant 

Henry  C.  Levansaler,  Thomaston,  Assistant  Surgeon 


4  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT. 

COMPANY  A. 

James  W.  Hathaway,  Mercer,  Captain 

J.  Whitman  Spaulding,  Richmond,  First  Lieutenant 

David  E.  Parsons,  Norridgewock,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  B. 

Lindley  M.  Coleman,  Lincolnville,  Captain 
William  Clements,  Monroe,  First  Lieutenant 
Levi  RacklifT,  Lincolnville,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  C. 

George  H.  Rowell,  Fairfield,  Captain 
Joseph  H.  Hunt,  Unity,  First  Lieutenant 
Francis  M.  Ames,  Fairfield,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  D. 

William  H.  Fogler,  Belfast,  Captain 
Horace  C.  Noyes,  Belfast,  First  Lieutenant 
Edward  R.  Cunningham,  Belfast,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  E. 

Daniel  L.  Dickey,  Stockton,  Captain 
James  Johnson,  Searsport,  First  Lieutenant 
John  S.  Tapley,  Frankfort,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  F. 

Isaac  W.  Starbird,  Litchfield,  Captain 

George  L.  Whitmore,  Bowdoinham,  First  Lieutenant 

Charles  E.  Nash,  Hallowell,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  G. 

James  W.  Welch,  Augusta,  Captain 
Everett  M.  Whitehouse,  China,  First  Lieutenant 
George  C.  Hopkins,  Mt.  Vernon,  Second  Lieutenant 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE    REGIMENT  5 

COMPANY  H. 

Joseph  Eaton,  Jr.,  Winslow,  Captain 
Willard  Lincoln,  China,  First  Lieutenant 
Albert  Hunter,  Clinton,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  I. 

Edward  A.  Snow,  Rockland,  Captain 
Gershom  F.  Burgess,  Camden,  First  Lieutenant 
George  D.  Smith,  Rockland,  Second  Lieutenant 

COMPANY  K. 

Charles  S.  Larrabee,  Bath,  Captain 

Joseph  Nichols,  Phipsburg,  First  Lieutenant 

Dumont  Bunker,  Fairfield,  Second  Lieutenant 

Colonel  Sewell  had  served  for  a  short  time  as  Assistant 
Adjutant-General  on  the  staff  of  General  Howard.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Heath  had  been  promoted  from  Captain  of  Company 
H,  Third  Maine  Regiment.  Major  Cunningham  had  seen 
service  as  Captain  of  Company  A,  Fourth  Maine.  Adjutant 
Haskell  had  been  Sergeant-Major  in  the  Third  Maine.  First 
Lieutenant  Whitehouse,  of  Company  G,  was  promoted  from 
Corporal  of  Company  B,  Third  Maine  Regiment.  Second 
Lieutenant  Bunker,  of  Company  K,  had  served  as  a  private  in 
Company  F,  Third  Maine  Regiment.  A  few  men  in  the  ranks 
had  also  been  in  other  Regiments. 

Sewell,  Heath,  Billings,  Starbird,  Fogler,  Spaulding, 
Parsons,  Hopkins,  and  many  others  among  the  non-commis 
sioned  officers  and  privates  were  college  men.  The  keen  in 
telligence  of  the  educated  volunteer  was  of  the  utmost  value. 
Illiteracy  was  reduced  to  the  minimum  in  the  Nineteenth. 

James  L.  Merrick,  of  Company  C,  writes  as  follows: — 

"The  boys  had  considerable  fun  those  first  days  at  Bath,  and, 
with  the  fun,  some  mischief.  A  gentleman  had  an  ambrotype  gallery 
on  wheels  within  the  encampment  and  had  taken  so  many  ridiculous 
pictures  of  members  of  the  Regiment  in  their  new  uniforms,  the  boys 


6  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

thought  they  had  better  have  a  little  sport  with  him;  so  one  dark 
night  they  set  the  establishment  on  fire  and  burned  it  to  the  ground. 
A  few  years  after  the  war  this  same  gentleman,  still  sore  over  his  loss, 
sent  a  bill  to  the  Nineteenth  Maine  Regimental  Association,  hoping  to 
get  his  pay,  but  the  men  thought  that  was  one  of  the  losses  of  the  war 
and  that  he  must  stand  it." 

The  Regiment  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  ser 
vice  August  25th,  1862,  by  Captain  C.  J.  Bailey,  iyth  U.  S. 
Infantry,  for  a  term  of  three  years.  The  Regiment  numbered 
at  the  time  of  the  muster,  thirty-nine  officers  and  nine  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  enlisted  men.  Early  on  the  morning  of  Wednes 
day,  August  2yth,  we  were  ordered  to  be  ready  to  move  from 
camp,  and  marched  through  the  streets  of  Bath  to  the  railroad 
station.  We  were  a  sight  to  behold  on  this  morning.  The  men 
had  put  everything  in  their  knapsacks  that  they  thought  there 
would  be  any  possibility  of  their  needing  in  the  future.  In 
deed,  some  had  nearly  everything  necessary  to  set  up  house 
keeping,  except  a  cookstove.  Our  overcoats  and  rubber 
blankets  were  strapped  to  the  top  of  our  knapsacks,  and  the 
straps  cut  pretty  deep  into  the  shoulders  before  we  reached  the 
railroad  station.  It  was  rather  a  pathetic  sight  as  the  train 
moved  out  of  the  station  at  Bath,  leaving  behind  the  fathers 
and  mothers,  brothers,  sisters  and  sweethearts  there  assembled, 
waving  with  their  handkerchiefs  a  brave  farewell  to  the  men — 
many  of  whom  they  would  never  see  again.  The  Regiment 
arrived  at  Boston  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  marched 
across  the  city  to  the  Providence  station,  where  we  took  the 
train  for  Stonington  Neck.  From  Stonington,  some  time  in 
the  night,  we  took  the  steamer  "Commonwealth"  for  Jersey 
City.  We  arrived  in  New  York  harbor  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  there  had  a  fine  view  of  the  ship  "Great  Eastern." 
It  was  an  immense  affair  and  in  those  days  created  considerable 
excitement  and  comment,  on  account  of  its  enormous  size.  The 
Regiment  arrived  in  Philadelphia  at  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  and 
took  supper  that  night  at  the  "Cooper  Shop"  refreshment 
saloon.  It  was  a  place  of  bountiful  refreshment,  maintained 
throughout  the  war  by  the  patriotic  people  of  that  city.  The 
"Cooper  Shop"  was  notified  by  signal  whenever  a  regiment 
arrived  en  route  to  the  city  of  Washington.  The  boys  long 


ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    REGIMENT  J 

remembered  the  splendid  repast  in  that  place,  and  some  of 
them  remembered  for  a  longer  time  the  embraces  of  the  girls  on 
the  streets  after  supper,  while  waiting  for  the  cars.  We  arrived 
in  Baltimore  about  ten  o'clock  the  next  day,  and  marched 
across  the  city,  where  we  took  the  train  for  the  seat  of  war.  The 
Regiment  arrived  at  Washington,  Friday  eveniug,  August  29th 
and  that  night  we  went  into  a  camp  called  "Soldier's  Rest."  \ 
Washington  was  then  a  very  different  city  from  the  Wash 
ington  of  today.  Its  streets  were  unpaved  and  most  of  its 
stores  and  residences  were  old  wooden  structures.  The  dome 
of  the  capitol  was  unfinished.  Outside  of  the  public  buildings 
there  was  not  much  to  interest  one.  Pennsylvania  avenue, 
its  principal  street,  was  cut  into  ruts  and  after  a  storm  was 
almost  impassable.  1 1  was  no  unusual  sight  to  see  heavily  loaded 
army  wagons  stalled  on  that  avenue.  Everywhere  were  seen 
hurrying  troops  and  staff  officers  arrayed  in  gorgeous  uniforms. 
No  one  seemed  to  have  encouraging  news  to  impart.  Dis 
order  and  gloom  reigned  supreme. 

James  L.  Merrick  thus  describes  the  movement  of  the 
Regiment  during  the  next  day. 

"The  following  morning,  August  30th,  orders  were  received  to 
move  into  Virginia,  and  the  order  to  'fall  in'  came  early.  We  marched 
through  the  city  of  Washington,  over  the  famous  Long  Bridge,  to  the 
foot  of  Arlington  Heights,  where  we  halted  and  ate  our  frugal 
midday  meal.  The  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  was  raging,  and  we 
could  hear  the  roar  of  the  cannon  all  day,  and  as  we  lay  there  the 
cannonading  grew  louder  and  clearer.  General  Pope  was  retreating. 
Suddenly  we  heard  a  great  noise  like  a  large  body  of  cavalry  marching 
toward  us.  The  boys  began  to  wake  up  and  became  somewhat  fright 
ened,  thinking  that  the  whole  army  must  be  upon  us  in  rapid  retreat. 
We  were  all  ready  for  the  occasion,  when,  to  our  surprise,  a  drove  of 
runaway  mules  came  tearing  down  the  hill  upon  whose  side  we  were 
resting.  We  did  not  know  but  it  was  Pope's  whole  army,  with  the 
Rebels  at  their  heels.  So  much  dust  was  raised  by  the  mules  in  their 
flight  that  we  could  not  see  what  the  force  was  so  rapidly  approaching 
us.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  we  yielded  the  road  to  the  mules  without 
any  controversy.  We  were  squelched  indeed.  Not  much  blood  was 
shed  in  this  action  and  it  did  not  take  long  to  bury  our  dead.  The 
boys  got  somewhat  scattered  but  the  lines  were  soon  reformed.  Colo 
nel  Sewell  then  received  orders  to  countermarch  the  Regiment  back 
to  Washington,  across  the  branch  of  the  Potomac  and  up  the  ridge 
to  Fort  Baker.  Here  we  encamped  about  dark.  The  boys  were 
pretty  well  tired  out  and  thought  they  had  seen  enough  of  war  for  the 
first  day.  We  ate  our  rations  and  lay  down  on  the  ground  between 
the  rocks  and  had  for  our  covering  the  canopy  of  heaven." 


8  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Mr.  Merrick,  also  contributes  the  following  information 
as  to  the  forts  occupied  by  the  different  companies  of  the 

Regiment. 

19 

"Companies  A  and  F  went  into  Fort  Greble.  Companies  B 
and  D  occupied  Fort  Baker.  Fort  Mahan  was  garrisoned  by  Companies 
C  and  G.  Company  E  went  into  Fort  Carroll,  and  Company  H  into 
Fort  Meigs.  Fort  Stanton  was  occupied  by  Company  I,  and  Company 
K  went  into  Fort  Dupont.  Later  some  of  the  companies  were  trans 
ferred  to  other  Forts.  Company  A  went  to  Fort  Baker,  and  Company 
F  was  transferred  to  Fort  Mahan.  On  September  12th  Company  E, 
was  transferred  to  Fort  Meigs,  and,  some  time  later,  Company  I  was 
transferred  to  Fort  Davis  and  afterward  to  Fort  Baker.  These  forts 
were  armed  with  heavy  cannon — 32  and  36  pounders,  with  eight  inch 
howitzers,  and  some  of  the  forts  had  mortars.  The  companies  were 
kept  busy  drilling  on  heavy  artillery  and  with  small  arms,  doing  guard 
duty,  fatigue  duty,  on  inspection  and  dress  parade,  until  September 
30th." 

At  some  time  during  our  stay  at  the  forts  one  or  two 
companies  were  in  Fort  Snyder.  These  forts  were  strung  up 
and  down  the  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Potomac  river,  with  two 
on  the  Potomac,  below  the  point  where  these  two  rivers  united. 
Begining  at  a  northern  point  on  the  Eastern  Branch,  the  forts 
were  located  in  the  following  order: — Mahan,  Meigs,  Dupont, 
Davis,  Stanton,  Snyder,  Carroll  and  Greble.  Fort  Carroll  was 
near  the  junction  of  the  Eastern  Branch  and  the  Potomac,  and 
Fort  Greble  was  down  the  Potomac,  nearly  opposite  Alexandria. 
While  occupying  these  forts  the  Regiment  was  under  the  im 
mediate  command  of  Brigadier-General  Daniel  P.  Woodbury. 

Amidst  the  drilling,  camp-guard,  picketing,  policing  the 
grounds  and  inspections,  it  was  a  goodly  sight  to  see  the  negroes, 
early  in  the  morning,  following  the  winding  roads  that  lead  up 
to  our  forts,  laden  with  melons  of  all  kinds,  peaches  and  other 
fruits.  Many  a  boy  in  the  Regiment  had  never  tasted  peaches 
and  some  of  them  had  never  even  seen  melons.  Old,  black 
women  would  climb  the  hill  on  the  road  that  led  to  Fort  Greble, 
with  a  basket  of  peaches  on  their  heads,  a  basket  of  vegetables 
in  one  hand  and  a  large  bag  of  fruit  in  the  other,  and  never 
wink.  How  good  that  fruit  tasted !  A  comrade  from  Company 
E  writing  of  this  period  says,  "  I  have  never  eaten  sweeter  or 
better  fruit  than  in  September  1862,  when  we  were  fooling 
around  in  the  forts.  I  can  taste  it  yet." 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  REGIMENT  9 

The  time  spent  in  the  forts  was  enjoyed  by  the  boys.  All 
lived  well  and  the  duties  were  not  burdensome.  Generally 
on  Sunday  mornings  the  soldiers  had  baked  beans  to  eat,  thus 
keeping  up  the  old  home  custom.  These  beans  were  cooked  in 
the  ground.  Holes  were  dug  two  or  two  and  a  half  feet  deep 
and  wood  burned  in  them  until  they  were  half  full  of  live  coals. 
Then  the  beans  having  been  well  parboiled,  were  put  into  iron 
kettles  and  baked  in  these  improvised  ovens.  The  beans 
thus  cooked  were  fine. 

The  Nineteenth  Maine  arrived  in  Washington  on  August 
28th.  The  echoes  of  the  guns  from  the  battlefields  of  Groveton 
and  Gainesville  had  not  yet  died  away.  The  day  we  marched 
into  the  forts  east  of  Washington,  we  could  hear  the  heavy  guns 
from  the  battlefield  of  Bull  Run,  and  two  days  later  from  Chan- 
tilly.  We  had  enlisted  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  rebellion.  The 
outlook  for  the  Union  cause  at  this  time  was  dark.  McClellan's 
army  had  been  defeated  and  driven  back  from  in  front  of  Rich 
mond.  Banks  had  been  forced  back  from  the  Rapidan.  After 
the  withdrawal  of  McClellan's  army  from  the  Peninsula,  the 
remnants  of  the  two  armies,  under  Pope,  had  been  beaten  in 
the  region  around  Bull  Run.  The  Union  army  was  superior  in 
numbers  and  richer  in  resources  than  the  Confederates.  The 
Confederate  soldiers  were  no  better  disciplined  and  were  no 
braver  than  the  Union  soldiers.  Why  was  it  then  that  we  had 
won  no  important  victories  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
suffered  so  many  defeats  up  to  this  time? 

The  cause  of  our  defeats,  or,  at  least,  -the  lack  of  success, 
is  not  far  to  seek.  At  this  time  the  following  general  officers 
had  important  commands  in  the  Confederate  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia:  R.  E.  Lee,  "Stonewall"  Jackson,  Longstreet,  the 
two  Hills,  Ewell,  Anderson,  Wilcox,  Mahone,  McLaws,  Hamp 
ton,  Fitzhugh  Lee  and  "Jeb"Stuart.  All  of  these  officers,  except 
those  who  were  killed,  remained  in  the  service  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  The  very  mention  of  their  names  suggests  their 
fitness  to  command. 

Now  just  compare  the  above  list  with  the  Major-Generals 
we  had  on  hand,  east  of  the  Alleghanies;  McClellan,  Hunter, 
Banks,  Dix,  Morgan,  Fitz  John  Porter,  Burnside,  Sigel,  Cad- 


10  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE    REGIMENT 

walader,  Heintzelman,  Keyes,  Casey,  Schenck,  Franklin, 
McDowell,  Fremont  and  Wool.  In  a  few  months,  Butler  came 
from  New  Orleans  and  his  name  was  added  to  this  list.  Instead 
of  wondering  why  the  war  lasted  four  years,  the  wonder  is  that 
we  ever  crushed  the  rebellion.  Some  of  the  officers  in  the  above 
list  had,  in  their  younger  days,  rendered  valuable  service  for 
their  country.  Some  of  the  others  were  nice,  estimable  old 
gentlemen.  The  grizzled,  heroic  Sumner  is  not  included  in 
this  list  because  he  does  not  belong  there,  and  a  few  months 
later  he  left  the  army  and  went  home  to  die.  Through  blunder 
ing  experience  and  sacrifice,  the  officers  who  were  dependable 
and  qualified  to  command,  gradually  advanced  to  the  front  and 
took  up  the  work.  Meade,  Hancock,  Sedgwick,  Reynolds, 
Gibbon,  Humphreys,  Buford,  Wright  and  Newton  were  Brig 
adier-Generals,  September  ist,  1862.  Warren,  Barlow,  Brooke 
Hunt,  Torbert,  Carroll,  Devens,  Getty  and  Gregg  were  Colonels. 
Miles,  Kilpatrick,  Webb  and  L.  A.  Grant  were  Lieutenant- 
Colonels.  Smyth  was  a  Major,  Wesley  Merritt  a  Captain,  and 
Wilson  and  Custer  were  First  Lieutenants.  The  brilliant  R.  S. 
Mackenzie  was  a  Second  Lieutenant. 

The  South  had  few  political  generals  and  none  with  import 
ant  commands.  The  woods  were  full  of  them  in  the  North. 
The  South  was  especially  fortunate  in  discerning  their  great 
leaders  at  the  beginning.  Political  influence  was  a  potent 
factor  at  Washington,  in  army  appointments,  in  the  first  years 
of  the  war.  Officers  best  fitted  to  command  were  sidetracked 
for  political  favorites.  We  were  then  too  near  the  events  that 
greatly  strained  the  success  of  the  Union  cause  to  be  able  to 
bring  a  judicial  temper  and  judgment  to  the  selection  of  the 
best  officers  for  important  commands. 

The  late  Captain  Charles  E.  Nash,  during  the  first  two  years 
of  the  war,  wrote  many  letters  from  the  front  to  his  home  paper, 
the  Hallowell  Gazette.  The  author  feels  at  liberty  to  quote 
freely  from  these  letters.  They  are  written  in  the  usual  felic 
itous  style  of  Captain  Nash  and  describe  more  accurately  than 
could  the  author,  the  scenes  and  incidents  with  which  he  was 
familiar.  Under  date  of  September  i5th,  1862,  Captain  Nash 
wrote : 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE    REGIMENT  II 

"Fort  Greble,  like  its  neighbors,  is  comparatively  new,  construc 
ted  of  earth  thrown  up  in  a  very  neat  and  substantial  manner,  and 
surrounded  by  an  almost  impenetrable  abattis.  It  mounts  thirteen 
32  pounders  (barbette)  and  two  heavy  siege  guns,  a  number  of  which 
point  in  an  insinuating  manner  toward  the  semi-rebel  city  of  Alexan 
dria,  just  across  the  river.  The  fort  is  situated  on  an  eminence  directly 
opposite  and  overlooking  the  city,  and  is  about  six  miles  distant  from 
the  city  of  Washington.  It  is  surrounded  by  innumerable  rifle  pits, 
well  calculated,  to  keep  the  enemy  at  bay  from  the  fort,  even  should 
he  ever  show  himself  in  this  region.  There  are  about  a  dozen  fortifi 
cations  of  this  kind  extending  up  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Potomac, 
for  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles.  The  face  of  the  country  is  very 
broken,  and  almost  every  hill  of  any  considerable  size  is  surmounted 
by  one  of  these  forts.  They  are  all  well  constructed,  and  the  heavy 
black  guns  scowling  above  the  parapets  present  a  striking  contrast  to 
the  peaceful  forest-clad  hills  far  away  in  New  England.  The  trees 
have  been  felled  for  precautionary  purposes,  within  target  distances  of 
the  forts,  and  hundreds  of  cords  of  timber  and  wood  are  lying  prostrate, 
untouched,  and  wasting  away  by  decay." 

A  member  of  the  regiment,  who  is  unwilling  to  have  his 
name  used  for  fear  he  might  be  blamed  for  the  recital  of  an 
event  that  might  properly  be  omitted  from  this  history,  furnish 
es  this  incident: 

"While  the  Regiment  was  encamped  in  the  forts  around  Wash 
ington  and  before  the  battle  of  Antietam,  the  boys  of  my  Company 
were  given  to  understand  that  there  was  great  danger  of  an  attack  by 
the  enemy  from  the  east.  It  never  occurred  to  us  that  it  might  be 
a  difficult  matter  for  the  enemy  to  get  around  in  that  locality.  We 
were  reading  about  the  "Black  Horse  Cavalry,"  which  never  existed 
except  in  the  imagination,  and  we  were  led  to  believe  most  anything. 
The  order  came  for  posting  a  strong  picket  force  some  two  miles  east 
of  the  fort  we  were  occupying.  A  heavy  detail  was  made  from  our 
Company  and  we  started  out  some  time  before  dark.  After  establish 
ing  the  picket  reserve,  we  were  posted  across  the  country  some  distance 
through  the  woods  and  low  ground  covered  with  bushes  north  of  the 
road  that  led  to  Upper  Marlboro.  The  sentinels  were  posted  some  ten 
or  fifteen  rods  apart.  I  was  with  the  reserve  post  until  nearly  mid 
night,  when  it  came  my  turn  to  go  on  the  outpost.  When  the  Sergeant 
left  me  on  my  post,  I  remembered  our  careful  instructions  that  in  case 
of  an  attack,  we  were  to  fire  at  the  enemy  and  then  fall  back  on  the 
picket  reserve.  Left  alone,  I  thought  every  stump  and  bush  looked 
like  men  creeping  toward  me  with  murderous  design.  A  little  after 
midnight  the  man  on  the  post  north  of  me  and  beyond  where  I  could 
see,  challenged  a  slowly  approaching  cow  which  had  been  disturbed 
by  our  movements  and  whose  outline  could  be  dimly  seen  in  the  dis 
tance.  The  cow,  not  speaking  the  same  language  as  the  sentinel  and 
not  understanding  the  challenge,  kept  advancing,  with  evident  hostile 
intent,  and  the  soldier  fired  and  after  hallooing,  started  on  a  run  to  the 
rear.  I  took  up  the  alarm  and  fired  my  rifle  in  the  direction  of  the 
supposed  enemy  and  started  for  the  picket  reserve.  There  were  some 
scattering  shots  and  a  scurrying  through  the  bushes  heard  in  the  dis 
tance.  I  made  a  satisfactory  run  until  I  struck  a  swamp  into  which  I 
ran  and  sank  ahout  two  feet  every  jump  I  made.  How. I  ever  got 


12  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE   REGIMENT 

across  the  swamp  has  always  been  a  mystery  to  me.  The  reserve 
picket  was  not  where  I  thought  it  ought  to  be  if  it  was  to  be  any  service 
to  me  in  my  present  predicament.  I  heard  dogs  barking  away  to  my 
right  and  it  was  a  sort  of  a  welcome  and  homelike  sound.  After  a 
while  I  heard  men  calling  in  different  directions,  but  in  my  somewhat 
demoralized  condition,  I  reasoned  that  men's  voices  would  sound  a 
good  deal  alike,  whether  the  men  wore  the  blue  or  the  gray.  So  I  did 
not  propose  to  be  fooled  by  unwisely  answering.  I  never  found  that 
picket  reserve,  but  I  did  find  the  fort  soon  after  daylight.  It  was 
a  sort  of  a  comfort  to  me  that  some  of  the  other  pickets  found  the  fort 
before  I  did.  But  they  were  not  delayed  by  swamps  and  had  a  better 
instinct  as  to  directions.  I  have  often  felt  that  I  would  like  to  look  at 
that  swamp  in  daylight  and  see  if  I  could  find  my  tracks  there  now." 

Major  A.  R.  Small,  in  his  excellent  history  of  the  Sixteenth 
Maine,  gives  the  best  description  of  the  green  private  soldier 
and  his  trials,  which  I  have  ever  seen.  I  have  his  permission 
to  quote  it  here. 

"Boys  of  today  may  think  it  fun  to  be  a  private  soldier,  but  it 
isn't.  The  picturesque  blue  and  scarlet  uniform  and  jaunty  laced  cap, 
or  symetrical  helmet,  seen  in  cuts,  are  very  deceptive,  and  the  whole 
soldierly  make-up  of  a  picture  is  misleading. 

"Be  a  man  ever  so  much  of  a  man,  his  importance  and  conceit 
dwindles  when  he  crawls  into  an  unteaseled  shirt,  pants  too  short  and 
very  baggy  behind,  coat  too  long  at  both  ends,  and  a  cap  shapeless  as 
a  feed  bag.  And  the  brogans!  Weren't  they  just  lovely,  with  soles 
six  inches  wide  and  heels  like  firkin  covers.  The  ideal  picture  of  a 
soldier  makes  a  veteran  smile.  He  knows  the  knapsack,  which  is  cut 
to  fit  in  the  engraving,  is  an  unwieldy  burden  with  its  rough  coarse 
contents  of  flannel  and  sole-leather  and  sometimes  twenty  rounds  of 
ammunition  extra.  Mixed  in  with  those  regulation  essentials,  like 
beatitudes,  are  photographs,  cards,  'housewife,'  Testament,  pens,  ink, 
paper,  and  oftentimes  stolen  truck  enough  to  load  a  mule.  All  of  this 
crowned  with  a  double  wool  blanket  and  shelter  tent  rolled  in  a  rubber 
blanket.  One  shoulder  and  the  hips  support  the  'commissary  depart 
ment' — an  odorous  haversack,  which  often  stinks  with  its  mixture  of 
bacon,  pork,  salt-junk,  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  desiccated  vegetables,  rice, 
bits  of  yesterday's  dinners,  and  old  scraps  husbanded  with  miserly 
care  against  a  day  of  want  sure  to  come. 

"Oh,  the  perfume  of  that  haversack! 

"Loaded  down,  in  addition  to  the  above,  with  a  canteen,  full 
cartridge-box,  belt,  cross-belt,  and  musket,  and  start  on  a  gunning 
tour  wasn't  fun.  No,  it  wasn't. 

"A  graduate  of  West  Point  in  his  nobby  uniform  is  a  thing  of 
beauty,  made  to  inspire  a  boy's  admiration.  His  carriage  is  superb. 
His  posing  in  the  position  of  a  soldier  makes  an  unfledged  aspirant  for 
military  honor  green  with  envy.  Under  the  most  trying  circumstances 
he  preserves  an  immobile  face.  No  amount  of  abuse  or  insult  will  cause 
him  to  forget  himself.  But  the  recruit  in  his  baggy  contract  suit, 
practicing  'eyes  right,'  is  an  object  of  both  pity  and  ridicule.  He  has 
lost  his  identity,  and  all  his  claims  to  equality  with  even  a  fife-major 
are  ignored.  He  finds  it  harder  to  hold  his  temper  than  to  hold  his 
little  fingers  on  the  seams  of  his  trousers;  hence,  the  first  day's  drill 
usually  ends  with  solemn  promises'to  lick  seven  or  eight  corporals  and  a 


ORGANIZATION   OF   THE  REGIMENT  13 

lieutenant  when  the  war  is  over' — and  a  night  in  the  guard  tent  for 
calling  the  drill-sergeant  offensively  arbitrary,  and  needlessly  particu 
lar  in  rehearsing  such  d — d  nonsensical  gyrations. 

"A  'private'  is  anything  but  private.  There  is  nothing  in  or 
about  him  that  is  respected  as  exclusive.  The  day  that  he  is  en 
listed  sees  his  whole  person  exposed  to  the  critical  eye  of  the  surgeon — 
his  lungs  sounded,  bowels  manipulated,  limbs  bent,  joints  cracked, 
teeth  examined,  eyes  tested,  while  he  undergoes  the  closest  scrutiny, 
in  search  of  cutaneous  eruptions  and  varicose  veins. 

"After  a  few  short  months  the  lice  claim  close  acquaintance, 
and  the  wood-ticks  explore  the  second  and  third  cuticle. 

"In  camp,  his  tent  is  ransacked.  His  knapsack  opened  every 
Sunday  morning  to  the  view  of  some  inspector.  His  gun,  equipments, 
and  all  there  is  on  or  about  this  private,  is  made  conspicuously  public. 
Although  the  United  States  Army  Regulations  guarantee  him  the 
exclusive  privilege  of  keeping  his  opinion  of  officers  and  measures  as 
his  private  property,  he  is  tortured  into  expression,  and  then  is  publish 
ed  throughout  the  army  as 'prejudicial  to  good  order  and  military 
discipline,'  and  he  gets  into  the  guard-house. 

"There  was  no   aristocracy  among  the  'privates.'     They  were 
thoroughly  democratic.     A  graduate  from  Harvard  and  an  illiterate 
from  the  wilds  of  Maine  were  often  seen  affectionately  picking  lice 
together. 

"Polished  scholars  and  ex-convicts,  Christians  and  Heathen 
bounty- jumpers  from  the  slums  of  New  York  would  cheat  each  other 
at  'seven-up.'  All  would  bathe  in  and  drink  from  the  sams 
stream,  whether  prior  or  subsequent  to  the  watering  of  the  brigade 
mules." 

General  McClellan,  under  Special  Orders  No.  3,  dated 
September  6th,  1862,  assigned  the  Nineteenth  to  ''Franklin's 
Corps,  near  the  Theological  Seminary,  Va."  as  a  "new  regiment.' 
For  some  reason  nothing  ever  resulted  from  this  assignment. 
The  Regiment,  with  other  troops,  was  ordered  on  September 
2gth  to  Frederick,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-General 
Henry  S.  Briggs,  to  be  assigned  to  General  Sumner  and  the 
strength  of  the  Regiment  is  stated  to  be  916  men.  On  the 
next  day,  September  3oth,  by  special  order  No.  267,  among  the 
"new  Regiments,  now  en  route  for  Frederick,"  the  Nineteenth 
was  assigned  to  the  second  Corps  (Sumner)  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
and  to  Howard's  Brigade.  This  was  an  error,  as  it  should 
have  been  Howard's  Division.  General  Sedgwick  had  been 
in  command  of  the  Division  until  the  battle  of  Antie- 
tam,  where  he  was  wounded  and  General  Howard,  who  was 
then  in  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  Brigade,  (Owen's) 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  Sedgwick's  (Second  )  Division. 


14  THE    NINETEENTH  MAINE    REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  II. 

HARPER'S    FERRY,    BOLIVAR    HEIGHTS,   AND   THE    MARCH    TO 
WARRENTON,  UNDER  GENERAL  MCCLELLAN. 

The  letter  of  Captain  Nash  under  date  of  October  28th, 
written  from  Camp  Bolivar  near  Harper's  Ferry,  with  a  few 
unimportant  omissions,  is  here  inserted. 

"At  an  early  hour  on  Tuesday  morning,  September  30th,  the 
Regiment  evacuated  the  forts  near  Washington  (in  which  for  a  month 
it  had  been  stationed  employed  in  heavy  artillery  practice)  en  route 
for  Frederick,  Md.,  with  orders  to  report  to  General  McClellan.  We 
arrived  at  the  close  of  the  day  following,  having  accomplished  the 
journey  principally  by  railroad.  Here  we  bivouacked  for  two  days, 
until  the  evening  of  October  2nd,  and  in  the  meantime  were  assigned 
to  the  Second  Corps,  Second  Division  of  the  army,  under  Generals 
Sumner  and  Howard,  (now  Generals  Couch  and  Gorman,)  whose 
headquarters  are  at  Bolivar,  Va.  On  the  Friday  evening  following 
our  arrival  at  Frederick,  the  Regiment  took  the  train  for  Harper's 
Ferry,  arriving  there  at  midnight, — rather  weary,  and  exceedingly 
pleased  at  another  opportunity  of  sleeping  a  few  hours  on  the  fair 
bosom  of  mother  earth,  with  the  starry  canopy  for  a  covering.  Owing 
to  the  then  recent  destruction  of  the  railroad  bridge  across  the  Potomac, 
the  Regiment  alighted  from  the  cars  and  crossed  on  the  pontoon 
bridge,  when  we  found  ourselves  in  the  heart  of  the  desolate  vllage  of 
Harper's  Ferry, — amid  the  relics  of  the  veritable  old  John  Brown,  and 
before  the  walls  of  his  celebrated  engine  house,  where  a  sentinel,  pacing 
his  beat  in  the  dim  moonlight,  looked  very  much  like  the  old  martyr's 
ghost  'marching  on.'  We  picked  our  way  through  the  narrow  street, 
viewing  the  ruins  of  the  town  which  has  been  the  center  of  so  many 
tragical  associations,  as  best  we  could, — the  once  stately  but  now 
charred  and  crumbling  walls  and  few  remaining  windowless  and  de 
serted  houses,  making  it  a  scene  of  rather  melancholy  picturesqueness, 
while  the  stern  sides  and  heavy  overhanging  bluffs  of  the  adjacent 
heights,  colored  the  whole  with  a  romantic  grandeur  similar  to  that 
which  poetizers  are  wont  to  adore  but  seldom  witness.  We  bivouacked 
the  remainder  of  the  night  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  village,  and  at 
early  dawn  set  out  again  for  our  destination.  An  hour's  march  brought 
us  to  the  summit  of  Bolivar  Heights,  where  we  remained  two  days, 
and  then  removed  to  the  foot  of  the  Heights,  where  Colonel  Miles  com 
pleted  his  inglorious  surrender  a  few  weeks  since.  Here  we  are  'settled 
down'  to  rest,  patiently  waiting  for  the  celebrated  'onward  movement' 
to  take  place. 

"About  forty  men  are  now  on  the  sick  list.  Several  deaths  have 
occurred  since  leaving  Maine,  two  of  which  were  in  Company  F,  viz: 
privates  Loring  P.  Donnell,  of  Monmouth,  and  Charles  H.  Adams,  of 
Litchfield, — two  as  noble  fellows  as  ever  took  up  arms  in  their  country's 


SERVICE   UNDER   GENERAL   McCbELLAN.  15 

defense — universally  respected  and  beloved  by  their  comrades,  and 
their  loss  is  deeply  mourned  by  the  officers  and  members  of  their 
company.  Their  ages  were  twenty-three  and  eighteen,  respectively. 
We  have  also  recently  been  called  to  mourn  the  death  of  Captain  Cole- 
man,  Company  B,  of  Lincoln ville,  an  excellent  officer,  an  honor  to  the 
Regiment, — and  who,  after  a  brief  illness,  has  been  called  by  the  Great 
Commander  to  serve  in  a  higher  sphere  than  any  of  earth.  Our 
quarters  are  situated  a  few  rods  from  the  street  leading  through  the 
once  neat  and  pleasant  hamlet  of  Bolivar,  and  about  two  miles  distant 
from  Harper's  Ferry.  On  the  east  the  huge  summits  of  Maryland 
Heights  loom  up  against  the  sky,  at  the  base  of  which  the  landscape  is 
dotted  with  the  encampments  of  several  brigades;  while  on  the  south 
of  us,  a  half  mile  distant,  flows  the  shallow  Shenandoah,  which  joins 
the  Potomac  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  walled  on  its  further  bank  by  the 
stern  sides  of  Loudon  Heights,  from  whose  lofty  summits  savage 
batteries  look  down  grimly  upon  us,  as  if  wishing  at  one  fell  swoop  to 
wipe  out  the  recent  reverse  of  our  army  under  Colonel  Miles,  at  this 
place.  On  our  west,  a  few  hundred  yards  distant,  Bolivar  Heights 
tower  above  us,  the  summit  and  sides  of  which  swarm  with  infantry, 
artillery,  cavalry,  baggage  trains,  and  all  the  appurtenances  belonging 
to  a  campaign.  Many  of  the  veteran  regiments  are  encamped  here, 
and,  suffice  it  to  say,  that  one  regiment  occupies  an  infinitely  small 
space  compared  with  the  whole.  It  is  interesting  after  nightfall  to 
witness  the  innumerable  camp-fires  glimmering  in  every  direction, 
and  to  listen  to  the  jargon  of  bugles  and  drums  which  at  stated  times 
call  out  the  army  for  roll-calls.  One  who  has  never  witnessed  it  can 
only  imperfectly  comprehend  the  details  of  a  day's  service  in  a  divi 
sion  of  our  army. 

"The  weather  since  we  have  been  here  has  been  beautiful,  much 
resembling  a  New  England  autumn,  although  at  times  rendered  a 
little  oppressive  by  heat.  Nights  are  almost  invariably  chilly  and 
uncomfortable. 

"There  are  but  few  'natives'  hereabouts,  having  nearly  all  skedad 
dled,  or -been  crowded  out  of  their  homes  by  the  deluge  of  men  passing 
through  this  military  channel.  It  is  a  sad  spectacle,  painfully  sug 
gestive  of  the  desolating  nature  of  war,  to  witness  the  shattered  and 
decaying  dwellings,  prostrate  forests  and  ruined  works  of  art,  visible 
in  the  vicinity.  Harper's  Ferry  is  almost  a  bed  of  ashes,  and  all  that 
remains  of  its  once  splendid  armory  are  a  few  crumbling  walls,  which 
will  soon  fall  to  the  ground.  I  have  passed  twenty-four  hours  among 
its  ruins, — where  in  future  years  the  traveller  and  tourist  will  eagerly 
resort,  and  which  history  will  point  out  as  the  spot  where  many  acts 
in  the  great  tragedy,  not  yet  closed,  took  place." 

While  the  Regiment  was  encamped  on  Bolivar  Heights, 
there  was  a  pile  of  old,  unexploded  shells,  piled  up  at  one  side 
of  the  camp,  which  were  left  over  by  Colonel  Miles  at  the 
time  of  the  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry,  some  weeks  before. 
The  boys  had  sense  enough,  from  their  experience  in  the  forts, 
to  know  that  they  were  dangerous  to  fool  with.  One  day  while 
they  were  cooking  their  dinners,  there  came  up  one  of  those 
showers,  so  common  in  the  south.  The  shower  consisted  of 
"nine  parts  wind  and  one  part  water."  Well,  the  wind  carried 


l6  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

the  fire  and  the  coals  into  the  pile  of  shells  and  several  of  them 
exploded.  Flying  fragments  were  hurled  in  all  directions.  The 
soldiers  from  the  old  regiments  in  the  Brigade  accused  us  of 
trying  to  cook  on  the  ends  of  the  shells.  It  was  noticed,  how 
ever,  that  they  were  first  in  the  race  down  the  hill  to  get  out  of 
the  way  of  what  they  imagined  to  be  a  flank  attack.  The 
Philedalphia  papers  the  next  day  had  an  exaggerated  and 
ludicrous  account  of  the  affair.  The  boys  of  the  Regiment 
never  heard  the  last  of  it. 

Sometime  in  October,  General  Gorman,  our  Brigade  com 
mander,  applied  to  General  Halleck,  to  be  relieved  from  duty 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  to  be  assigned  to  some  com 
mand  in  the  West.  On  October  i6th,  General  McClellan,  in 
wrting  to  Halleck,  stated  that  he  had  been  informed  of  Gor 
man's  desire  and  he  urged  him  to  send  him  away.  He  stated 
that  the  commander  of  the  Division  to  which  Gorman  was 
attached  was  ill  and  would  not  probably  be  able  to  do  duty  for 
sometime.  General  McClellan  wrote,  "General  Gorman  is  the 
next  oificer  in  rank,  but  I  do  not  consider  him  in  every  respect 
suited  to  such  a  command.  If  you  can  order  him  to  some  com 
mand  in  the  West,  I  shall  be  glad."  After  writing  to  Halleck, 
urging  this  matter  upon  his  attention  on  three  separate  oc 
casions,  McClellan  carried  his  point.  On  the  first  of  December 
following,  we  find  General  Gorman  serving  in  the  Department 
of  Missouri,  under  General  Curtis, 

General  Gorman  was  the  first  Colonel  of  the  First  Minne 
sota  Regiment — an  organization  that  furnished  the  service 
with  three  Brigadier-Generals.  There  was  no  better  regiment 
in  the  service  and  more  than  one  hundred  of  its  original  mem 
bers  were  natives  of  Maine.  Gorman  had  been  a  prominent  Dem 
ocratic  politician  in  the  Minnesota  Territory  in  ante-bellum  days. 
He  had  the  reputation  of  being  willing  to  fight  even  before  the 
war  broke  out.  He  was  "eloquent  in  vituperation."  The  men 
of  the  Nineteenth,  when  on  brigade  drill  in  the  vicinity  of 
Harper's  Ferry,  frequently  heard  him  swear  and  curse  regimen 
tal  and  line  officers  so  that  he  could  be  heard  half  a  mile  away. 
He  was  a  brave  officer,  however,  and  was  solicitous  for  the  wel- 


SERVICE  UNDER  GENERAL  MCCLELLAN          IJ 

fare  of  his  soldiers  and  manifested  great  affection  for  his  regi 
ment.  He  was  succeeded  in  command  of  our  Brigade  by 
General  Sully,  another  First  Minnesota  officer,  on  the  2Qth 
of  October,  the  day  before  we  left  Harper's  Ferry. 

By  noon,  October  3Oth,  the  Regiment  took  its  place  in  the 
line  and  the  column  moved  down  the  Shenandoah  river,  near  its 
junction  with  the  Potomac,  and  crossed  over.  The  column  then 
passed  around  the  northerly  end  of  Loudon  Heights,  and  moved 
south  up  the  beautiful  Loudon  valley.  This  was  a  splendid 
fertile  country.  Grain  had  been  harvested  and  was  in  stacks. 
Forage  was  plentiful  and  cattle  and  sheep  could  be  seen  upon 
every  side.  The  first  day's  march  was  only  about  ten  miles. 
The  sound  of  cannonading  in  the  distance  indicated  that  our 
cavalry,  scouting  in  advance,  had  come  upon  small  bodies  of 
the  enemy.  We  camped  near  Hillsborough,  where  we  re 
mained  all  the  next  day.  The  Regiment  started  just  before 
noon  on  the  ist  of  November  and  proceeded  about  five  miles  and 
formed  in  line  of  battle  on  the  left  of  the  road.  After  waiting 
for  the  cavalry  to  clear  the  way  for  us,  we  marched  a  few  miles 
further  and  went  into  camp.  Fine  rail  fences  abounded  on 
every  side  and  large  fires  were  kept  burning  far  into  the  night. 
While  the  days  were  warm  and  comfortable  for  marching,  the 
nights  were  frosty  and  the  fires  kept  the  men  from  suffering. 
We  marched  November  2nd  to  Bloomfield,  some  distance  south 
of  Snicker's  Gap,  and  on  the  3rd  we  reached  Upperville,  near 
Ashby's  Gap.  Our  march  had  been  up  the  valley  near  the 
Blue  Ridge  Mountains.  When  between  Upperville  and  Paris, 
we  ran  up  against  the  rear  guard  of  the  enemy,  but  General 
Pleasonton's  cavalry  made  short  work  of  clearing  the  road  for 
us.  We  formed  in  line  of  battle  but  were  again  disappointed 
in  having  no  serious  work  to  do. 

Horace  L.  Smith,  of  Company  F,  furnishes  the  following 
amusing  anecdote: 

"When  two  or  three  days  out  from  Harper's  Ferry  a  laughable 
incident  occurred,  which  many  of  the  men  will  remember.  We  were 
marching  in  a  sunken  road,  up  a  long  hill  with  woods  on  our  right  and 
clear  land  on  our  left.  We  could  see  nothing  on  our  left  but  the  sub 
merged  side  of  the  road  and  a  high  rail  fence  at  the  top.  We  were 
moving  along  very  slowly  while  the  cavalry  was  skirmishing  at  a 
distance  in  front.  Suddenly  a  deep  rumbling  sound  was  heard  up  the 


l8  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE   REGIMENT 

hill  and  troops  were  seen  rushing  pell-mell  from  the  road  in  front  as 
though  to  escape  some  impending  catastrophe.  No  orders  were  given, 
but  there  was  a  fierce  struggle  between  the  line  officers  and  the  boys  as 
to  who  should  first  reach  and  climb  over  that  fence  at  the  top  of  the 
embankment.  In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  road  was  clear 
ed  for  any  old  purpose  for  which  anybody  might  want  to  use  it.  Not 
only  were  the  boys  of  the  Nineteenth,  with  a  full  complement  of  officers 
over  the  fence  and  mingled  in  confusion,  but  Massachusetts  vied  with 
Minnesota  and  New  York  in  reaching  the  coveted  elevation.  And  the 
old  regiments,  we  had  been  told,  never  ran !  Before  many  explanations 
had  been  exchanged  to  account  for  the  sudden  flank  movement,  the 
officers  sheepishly  requested  the  men  to  resume  their  places  in  the  road 
below.  The  rumbling  sound  had  been  caused  by  throwing  down  a  stone 
wall,  to  permit  batteries  in  advance  to  go  into  position.  It  was  one  of 
those  unaccountable,  ludicrous  stampedes  that  sometimes  occur  among 
large  bodies  of  men.  We  soon  went  into  camp  in  the  woods  on  the 
right  of  the  road  and  around  camp-fires  that  night  the  boys  rehearsed 
the  incidents  connected  with  the  Regiment's  first  charge  by  the  left 
flank." 

Thus  far  it  had  been  fine  Indian  summer  weather  since  we 
had  left  Harper's  Ferry.  The  soldiers  lived  well,  but  the 
farmers  on  the  line  of  march  contributed  liberally  to  the  boys, 
commissary  department.  Despite  most  stringent  orders  against 
foraging,  every  morning,  the  ground  between  the  different 
encampments  of  the  regiments  was  covered  with  sheep  skins 
and  feathers  from  turkeys,  geese  and  hens  that  had  given  their 
lives,  during  the  preceding  night,  for  the  relief  of  the  hungry 
soldiers.  Officers  threatened,  and  occasionally  a  soldier  was 
arrested  and  compelled  to  march  with  the  provost  guard  for 
a  day  or  two.  His  well  stuffed  haversack  and  smiling  face 
indicated  however  that  the  punishment  was  not  regarded  as 
very  serious.  The  soldiers  simply  could  not  resist  the  tempta 
tion.  We  were  marching  through  a  region  of  country  that  had 
never  been  desolated  by  war.  When  this  region  was  visited 
by  a  member  of  the  Regiment  more  than  thirty  years  after  the 
war,  the  old  inhabitants  attempted  to  describe  the  march  of 
McClellan's  Army  through  their  country  in  the  fall  of  '62. 
During  the  recital  of  their  wrongs  their  faces  did  not  wear  an 
especially  pleased  or  benevolent  expression. 

The  Regiment  reached  Paris  and  the  vicinity  of  Ashby's 
Gap  on  Tuesday  afternoon,  November  5th.  Here  fifty  or 
seventy-five  Confederate  prisoners,  captured  by  General  Pleas- 
sonton,  came  back  from  the  front.  Paris  contained  about 
forty  or  fifty  old  houses,  many  of  them  in  a  very  dilapidated 


John  Day  Smith, 
Historian. 


SERVICE  UNDER  GENERAL  MCCLELLAN  19 

condition.  We  had  not  seen  an  able-bodied  man  among  the 
citizens  since  leaving  Harper's  Ferry.  They  were  absent  with 
Mosby  and  in  the  Confederate  Army. 

On  the  night  of  the  3rd,  our  Regiment  was  on  a  skirmish 
line  part  of  the  night,  supported  by  other  regiments.  While 
at  Paris,  Generals  McClellan  and  Burnside  visited  our  Corps. 
We  passed  the  yth  of  November  in  the  woods  some  four  miles 
from  Ashby's  Gap,  having  spent  the  preceding  night  in  an  open 
field.  There  was  a  northeast  snowstorm  of  several  inches  and 
it  was  a  bitterly  cold  night.  The  most  of  the  time  was  spent  by 
the  men  outside  of  their  tents  around  the  camp  fires.  Water 
froze  in  our  canteens.  We  continued  on  our  march  through 
Rectortown  and  Salem,  arriving  at  Warrenton  on  Sunday, 
November  9th,  where  we  pitched  our  shelter  tents,  remaining 
there  several  days  wondering  what  the  next  movement  would 
bring  forth. 

On  the  night  of  November  yth,  General  McClellan  was 
relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and 
General  Burnside  placed  in  command.  Rumors  of  this  change 
in  commanders  reached  the  Regiment  the  next  day. 

McClellan  took  leave  of  our  Corps  and  the  Fifth,  at  War 
renton,  on  the  loth  of  November.  The  Second  Corps,  under 
General  Couch,  was  drawn  up  on  one  side  of  the  Centerville 
pike,  and  the  Fifth,  under  General  Butterfield,  on  the  opposite 
side.  General  McClellan,  with  his  large  body  of  brilliantly 
dressed  staff  officers,  rode  between  the  lines,  and  this  was  the 
last  the  boys  ever  saw  of  "Little  Mac."  The  soldiers  who  had 
long  served  under  him  greatly  regretted  his  departure.  He  was 
respected  and  loved  by  them. 

The  President  could  not  be  blamed  for  desiring  a  change 
in  the  commanders  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  but  no  one 
has  ever  been  found  who  could  give  a  good  reason  for  placing 
Burnside  in  that  responsible  position.  The  removal  of  Mc 
Clellan  was  deserved  and  right  but  inopportune.  The  right 
thing  done  at  the  wrong  time  is  sometimes  as  harmful  as  the 
wrong  thing  done  at  any  time.  At  least  two  propitious  oc 
casions  had  occurred  for  such  action,  one  at  Harrison's  Landing 


2O  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

in  the  midsummer  of  1862,  after  McClellan's  disastrous  cam 
paign  before  Richmond  and  when  he  wrote  his  impertinent 
letter  to  the  President, and  the  other  after  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
at  the  time  he  refused  to  move  with  his  army  after  having  been 
positively  ordered  to  do  so.  It  seemed  now  as  though  having 
started  out  on  an  advanced  movement  with  the  army,  he  ought 
to  have  had  a  chance  to  show  what  he  could  do  with  his  plan  of 
campaign,  if  he  had  any. 

"McClellan  would  have  been  an  excellent  Chief-of -staff  but  was 
unfit  for  the  command  of  an  army.  He  was  as  utterly  without  audac 
ity  as  Lee  was  full  of  it.  His  one  fine  quality  was  his  ability  to  organ 
ize  and  discipline.  He  constructed  a  superb  machine,  which,  being 
once  constructed,  would  fight  a  battle  with  skill  and  courage  if  only 
let  alone.  MeClellan  during  the  Seven  Days,  let  it  alone,  absenting 
himself  as  if  by  instinct.  Never  but  at  the  battle  of  Shanpsburg  was  he 
present  on  any  field,  and  his  presence  there,  by  keeping  Porter's  Corps 
out  of  the  action,  made  a  drawn  fight  of  what  would  otherwise  have 
been  a  Federal  victory."! 

On  the  2Oth  of  September  after  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
General  McClellan  reported  his  aggregate  force  present  for  duty 
as  82,233  and  as  absent  from  command  75,000  soldiers.  He 
reported  as  present  for  duty  on  the  loth  of  October  1862, 
129,000  men,  and  as  present  and  absent  a  total  of  200,000  men. 
All  of  these  statements  are  exclusive  of  the  Third  and  Eleventh 
Corps.  After  General  Stuart  had  ridden  completely  around  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  President  Lincoln  suggested  to  McClellan 
that  if  the  enemy  had  more  occupation  south  of  the  Potomac 
his  cavalry  would  not  be  so  likely  to  make  raids  north  of  it. 
McClellan  had  been  an  engineer  officer  in  the  regular  army  and 
the  President  is  reported  to  have  said  that  he  seemed  to  be  best 
fitted  for  a  stationary  engineer. 

General  Longstreet  states  in  his  Military  Memoirs  that 
when  General  McClellan  was  removed,  General  Lee  remarked 
to  him  that  he  regretted  to  part  with  McClellan,  "for,"  he  said, 
"we  always  understood  each  other  so  well.  I  am  afraid  they 
will  continue  to  make  these  changes  until  they  find  some  one 
whom  I  do  not  understand."  General  McClellan  had  never 
won  a  decisive  victory  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was 
bold  in  conception  but  terribly  slow  in  execution.  He  never 


1  Military  Memoirs  of  a  Confederate,  by  General  E.  P.  Alexander, 
p.  224. 


SERVICE  UNDNR  GENERAL  MCCLELLAN  21 

sought  to  win  a  battle  by  his  inspiring  presence  on  the  battle 
field.  When  on  the  Peninsula,  he  claimed  to  have  information 
that  the  enemy  had  200,000  men.  He  was  entirely  destitute  of 
the  ability  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  strengttiof  his  opponent. 
He  always  saw  double,  when  he  looked  toward  the  enemy.  He 
was  continually  calling  for  reinforcements.  Even  on  Sepetmber 
23rd,  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  he  notified  the  War  Depart 
ment  that  "General  Summer,  with  his  Corps  and  William's, 
occupies  Harper's  Ferry  and  the  surrounding  heights.  I  think 
he  will  be  able  to  hold  his  position  till  reinforcements  arrive!" 

McClellan  certainly  did  not  lack  confidence  in  his  own 
ability.  After  being  relieved  of  his  command,  he  wrote  his 
wife  as  follows: 

"They  have  made  a  great  mistake.  Alas  for  my  country! 
*  *  *  The  order  depriving  me  of  the  command  created  an 
immense  deal  of  deep  feeling  in  the  army — so  much  so  that 
many  were  in  favor  of  my  refusing  to  obey  the  order  and  of 
marching  upon  Washington  to  take  possession  of  the  govern 
ment!"! 

The  question  often  arises  in  the  minds  of  the  student 
of  history  as  to  what  would  have  been  the  fate  of  McClellan, 
Buell,  Rosecrans,  Banks,  McDowell  and  other  discredited 
military  leaders  had  they  become  prominent  as  commanders, 
late  in  the  war.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  we  had  skillful 
and  competent  officers  who  were  scrificed  in  1861  and  1862  to 
the  nation's  ignorance  of  war.  No  doubt  General  McClellan 
would  have  succeeded  on  staff  duty  or  in  the  cabinet  of  the 
President.  His  ability  as  an  organizer  is  universally  recognized. 
He  was  a  courteous  gentleman  and  his  character  was  above 
reproach.  He  recognized  that  he  commanded  men,  not  ma 
chines.  He  had  the  rare  faculty  of  captivating  others — a 
quality  that  comes  to  a  man  by  nature,  when  it  comes  at  all. 
The  dignity  of  his  position  .did  not  prevent  him  from  visiting 
hospitals  and  kindly  greeting  there  the  wounded  or  speaking  a 
word  of  cheer  on  the  march  to  a  sick  or  exhausted  soldier  by 
the  roadside.  Here,  to  a  great  extent,  lay  the  secret  of  the 
enthusiastic  devotion  of  his  soldiers.  Many  of  his  admirers 

1  McClellan 's  Own  Story  pp.    624,  652  and  660. 


22  THE    NINETEETTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

and  partisans  during  the  war  were  ignorant  of  the  reasons  which 
actuated  the  government  in  the  removal  of  McClellan.  Very 
many  of  these  same  men,  after  the  war,  acknowledged  the 
wisdom  of  the  President's  action. 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  23 


CHAPTER  III. 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG. 

UPON  assuming  command,  General  Burnside  formed  the 
army  into  three  Grand  Divisions.  The  Right  Grand  Division 
was  commanded  by  General  E.  V.  Sumner  and  consisted  of  the 
Second  Corps,  General  D.  N.  Couch,  and  the  Ninth  Corps, 
General  O.  B.  Willcox.  The  Center  Grand  Division  was  com 
manded  by  General  Joseph  Hooker  and  was  composed  of  the 
Third  Corps,  General  George  Stoneman,  and  the  Fifth,  General 
Daniel  Butterfield.  The  Left  Grand  Division  had  for  its  com 
mander  General  W.  B.  Franklin  and  consisted  of  the  Sixth 
Corps,  General  W.  F.  Smith,  and  the  First  Corps,  General  J. 
F.  Reynolds.  General  Pleasanton  commanded  the  cavalry. 
The  strength  of  the  army  was  about  125,000  men.  With  this 
magnificent  army,  Burnside  decided  to  move  to  the  left  and 
seize  Fredericksburg,  on  the  lower  Rappahannock.  After 
sending  the  sick  and  disabled  to  Washington,  the  o'd  Second 
Corps  struck  out  in  advance  for  Falmouth,  leaving  Warren- 
ton  Junction  on  the  morning  of  November  I5th  and  reaching 
the  vicinity  of  Falmouth  in  the  afternoon  of  the  lyth.  The 
distance  covered  was  forty  miles,  and  through  a  deso'ate  look 
ing  country,  with  occasional  farm  houses.  The  Corps  marched 
in  three  columns,  one  Division  on  the  road  and  the  other  two 
through  the  fields  on  either  side  of  the  road.  Our  Division  was 
on  the  left. 

It  appears  that  when  we  left  Warren  ton,  Burnside's  plan 
was  to  move  to  Falmouth,  cross  the  river  there  and  occupy 
Fredericksburg  at  once.  Then  he  proposed,  after  supplying 
the  army  with  provisions  from  Acquia  Creek,  to  push  south, 
in  the  direction  of  Richmond.  At  that  time  one-half  of  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  was  clustered  around  Culpepper 
Court  House,  under  Longstreet,  and  the  other  half  in  the  valley 


24  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

of  the  Shenandoah,  fifty  miles  away,  under  Jackson.  When 
the  Second  Corps  reached  Falmouth,  Fredericksburg  was  occu 
pied  by  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  four  companies  of  infantry  and  a 
light  battery.  The  promised  pontoons  were  not  *at  Falmouth 
when  we  arrived.  Indeed,  the  very  day  we  left  Warren  ton, 
Burnside  was  informed  that  our  pontoon  train  might  be  ready 
to  start  from  Washington  by  water  on  the  i6th  or  iyth.  That 
was  the  time  that  Burnside  ought  to  have  recalled  Sumner's 
Grand  Division  and  not  developed^iis  plan  of  action  to  the  Con 
federates  until  his  pontoons  were  ready  for  immediate  use. 
The  pontoon  train  did  not  arrive  at  Falmouth  until  eight  days 
after  the  head  of  the  Second  Corps  had  appeared  on  the  heights 
of  Falmouth  before  the  eyes  of  the  astonished  Confederates. 
A  small  Confederate  battery  of  four  guns  was  stationed  north 
of  Fredericksburg,  and  General  Couch  ordered  forward  one  of  our 
batteries,  which,  in  a  few  minutes,  put  to  flight  the  Confederate 
gunners,  who  hastily  hauled  their  guns  behind  buildings  out  of 
sight.  General  Sumner  sought  permission  from  Burnside  to 
cross  troops  at  one  of  the  fords  and  take  possession  of  the  city. 
This  was  refused.  So  through  one  of  those  frequent  and 
wretched  blunders  that  stand  out  on  the  pages  of  our  history, 
we  were  compelled  to  wait  for  our  pontoons  and  watch  Long- 
street's  troops,  who  began  arriving  on  the  igth,  constructing 
intrenchments,  which  would  later  cost  us  thousands  of  lives  in 
our  vain  attempt  to  capture. 

The  Confederate  army  was  now  divided,  and  ours  was  con 
centrated.  Jackson,  with  one-half  of  the  Confederate  force, 
was  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  nearly  one  hundred  miles  away. 
The  opportunity  to  get  between  the  widely  separated  Corps  of 
the  Confederate  army  and  attack  one  before  the  other  could 
come  to  its  relief,  never  appears  to  have  suggested  itself  to 
General  Burnside.  It  was  such  an  opportunity  as  General  Lee 
would  not  have  failed  to  profit  by. 

Falmouth  consisted  of  a  small  collection  of  old  houses  under 
a  bluff  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rappahannock  about  a  mile 
above  Fredericksburg.  It  was  noted  as  being  the  birthplace  of 
the  Confederate  Secretary  of  War,  J.  A.  Seddon,  who  had  served 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  25 

in  Congress,  years  before  the  war.  One  of  the  houses  in  this 
little  hamlet  was  pointed  out  as  having  been  the  residence  of 
Duff  Green,  a  member  of  President  Jackson's  "  Kitchen  Cabinet" 
and  who  was  sent  as  a  confidential  messenger  by  Buchanan  to 
Lincoln  near  the  close  of  the  former's  administration.  Buchan 
an  asked  Lincoln  to  come  to  Washington  ostensibly  for  the  pur 
pose  of  counsel  and  advice,  but  really  that  Lincoln  might  share 
in  the  odium  of  the  vacillation  and  cowardice  of  the  closing 
months  of  Buchanan's  administration.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  too 
shrewd  to  be  caught  in  this  little  trap.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
then  a  Captain  in  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts,  now  a  member 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  was  provost  mar- 
shall  at  Falmouth  during  the  time  between  the  battles  of  Freder- 
ricksburg  and  Chancellorsville. 

Who  of  the  boys  will  ever  forget  "Smoky  Hollow"?  It 
rained  a  great  deal  and  we  tried  to  make  fires  out  of  wet  wood. 
The  smoke  settled  to  the  ground  and  sometimes  one  could 
scarcely  see  his  neighbor  ten  feet  away,  by  reason  of  the  smoke. 
Some  of  the  time  it  was  bitterly  cold  and  much  sickness  pre 
vailed  in  the  Regiment. 

On  the  22nd  of  November,  the  Regiment  marched  about 
eight  miles  on  the  road  to  Belle  Plain  landing,  on  the  Potomac 
Creek,  where  all  our  supplies  came  now,  and  went  to  building 
corduroy  roads.  This  work  was  done  by  cutting  small  logs, 
some  fifteen  or  eighteen  feet  long,  placing  them  side  by  side  and 
covering  them  with  branches  and  dirt.  It  was  over  this  road 
that  our  supplies  came  until  the  railroad  was  in  operation.  The 
Maine  regiments  had  their  full  share  of  this  kind  of  work,  because 
most  of  the  men  from  Maine  knew  how  to  handle  an  axe.  It 
was  rich  entertainment  to  watch  the  New  Yorkers  in  our  Bri 
gade  trying  to  cut  down  a  tree.  They  would  hack  a  circle  about 
six  inches  wide  around  the  tree  and  keep  at  it,  hitting  as  near 
the  center  of  the  circle  as  they  could,  until  the  tree  yielded.  It 
was  still  more  entertaining  to  see  some  green,  officious  Lieuten 
ant  of  our  Regiment,  from  the  city,  instructing  some  lumber 
man  soldier  as  to  the  proper  way  to  do  this  work. 

Thanksgiving  day  came  on  Thursday,  November  27th, 


26  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

and  it  was  a  cheerless  day.  The  boys'  dinner  generally  con 
sisted  of  hard  bread  and  salt  pork.  Thoughts  of  home  and 
loved  ones  and  the  gloomy  outlook  in  camp,  did  not  add  to  the 
day's  enjoyment.  It  was  here  that  the  cheerful  optimist  and 
the  company  joker,  more  necessary  to  the  health  of  the  army 
than  surgeons,  got  in  their  work.  One  of  these  useful  individ 
uals  would  come  up  to  a  large,  smoky  camp-fire,  surrounded  by 
gloomy  and  disconsolate  soldiers,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  shout 
of  laughter  would  be  heard  and  the  scene  would  change 
from  one  of  despondency  to  cheerfulness.  On  December  5th 
the  Regiment  returned  and  went  into  camp  near  Falmouth.  It 
was  bitterly  cold  on  December  yth.  The  ground  was  covered 
with  snow  and  ice  and  there  was  much  suffering  among  the 
men. 

The  casualties  of  the  Nineteenth  were  so  small  in  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg  that  no  detailed  description  of  the 
battle  is  necessary  in  writing  the  history  of  the  Regiment.  In 
deed,  it  was  not  a  battle,  it  was  a  slaughter.  The  Colonel's 
report  would  add  nothing  to  our  information  if  quoted  here. 

Lee's  army  in  this  engagement  contained  about  80,000 
men.  The  bulk  of  his  army  occupied  a  circling  ridge,  begin 
ning  on  our  right  above  Falmouth  near  the  river,  and  extending 
southeasterly  some  six  miles  to  the  neighborhood  of  Hamilton's 
Crossing  on  the  Richmond,  Fredericksburg  and  Potomac  Rail 
road,  and  near  the  Massaponax  river.  The  right  of  the  Confeder 
ate  line  was  within  about  a  mile  of  the  Rappahannock  and 
some  five  miles  south  of  Fredericksburg.  Between  the  Rappa 
hannock  and  this  ridge  was  a  wide  plain  sloping  upwards  to  the 
base  of  this  ridge.  Fredericksburg,  a  city  of  some  4000  people, 
lies  in  this  plain  next  to  the  Rappahannock  and  less  than  a  mile 
distant  from  Marye's  Heights.  Before  the  war,  Fredericksburg 
was  remembered  as  the  home  of  Washington's  mother  and 
of  that  revolutionary  hero,  General  Mercer,  who  was  mortally 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Princeton. 

Washington's  mother  lived  for  many  years  in  a  small  stone 
house,  still  standing,  on  the  corner  of  Charles  and  Lewis  Streets. 
She  died  and  was  buried  from  this  house.  Her  unfinished  monu- 


BATTLE   OF  FREDERICKSBURG  27 

ment  stood  in  the  open  space  above  the  town  as  a  rebuke  to  the 
Confederate  forces,  facing  her  grave,  who  were  attempting  to 
destroy  the  government  her  son  did  so  much  to  establish. 

General  Burnside  did  not  seem  to  have  any  definite  plan 
of  battle,  or  if  he  did,  no  one  has  ever  yet  been  able  to  find  out 
what  it  was.  General  Hunt,  chief  of  artillery,  began  to  occupy 
our  side  of  the  Rappahannock  with  guns  after  dark  on  the 
loth  of  December.  One  hundred  and  forty-seven  cannon  were 
placed  in  position  to  cover  the  crossing  of  our  troops.  General 
Franklin,  with  more  than  one-half  of  the  army,  crossed  on  the 
left,  some  two  miles  below  Fredericksburg,  upon  two  pontoon 
bridges.  General  Sumner,  with  his  own  Grand  Division,  one 
Division  of  the  Third  Corps  and  two  of  the  Ninth  crossed  at 
Fredericksburg  and  held  the  right  of  the  line.  Sumner's  losses 
in  this  battle  comprised  seven-tenths  of  the  killed  and  wounded 
of  the  army. 

Our  Regiment  was  called  up  long  before  daybreak  on  the 
morning  of  December  nth  and  marched  with  the  Division  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  Lacy  House.  The  Engineer  Corps  under 
took  to  lay  the  pontoon  bridges.  Some  Mississippi  troops,  under 
Barksdale,  in  rifle  pits  and  cellars  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  permitted  our  engineers  to  construct  the  pontoon  bridges 
to  the  middle  of  the  stream,  when  they  concluded  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  work.  They  soon  drove  every  one  of  the  engineers 
from  their  post  and  from  the  river,  killing  and  wounding  several . 
Then  our  artillery  opened,  poundingthe  city  with  shot  and  shell 
and  the  cannoneer  opposite  the  point  where  the  bridges  were 
building,  depressed  their  pieces  so  as  to  rake  the  rifle  pits  and 
the  troublesome  houses,  where  the  Confederates  were  secreted. 
Then  the  artillery  would  suspend  firing  and  the  engineers  at 
tempt  to  resume  their  work  on  the  bridges.  The  concealed 
Confederates  would  drive  them  off  again.  Over  and  over  again 
this  was  repeated.  At  last  General  Hunt  or  Colonel  Halli  com- 

1  Norman  J.  Hall,  a  West  Point  graduate,  was  a  Second  Lieutenant 
under  Major  Anderson  at  Fort  Sumter  in  April,  1861.  He  was  made 
Colonel  of  the  Seventh  Michigan  July  7th,  '62,  but  was  compelled  by 
ill  health  to  leave  the  service  in  June  '64.  Colonel  Hall  was  a  fine 
officer  and  generally  commanded  the  Second  Brigade  of  our  Division 
until  the  Wilderness  campaign. 


28  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

manding  the  Third  Brigade  of  our  Division,  suggested  what 
ought  to  have  been  done  in  the  early  morning.  That  was  to 
have  men  row  across  in  the  pontoon  boats  and  drive  the  small 
force  of  riflemen  away.  Upon  the  advice  and  consent  of  General 
Hunt  this  method  was  now  adopted.  The  Seventh  Michigan, 
Colonel  Hall's  regiment,  volunteered  for  the  work  to  a  man, 
and  the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  under  Captain  Weymouth, 
volunteered  to  support  the  Michigan  men.  So  the  matter  was 
arranged  and  the  Seventh  Michigan  led  the  way  across  the  river 
in  boats.  They  lost  some  men  in  crossing.  The  Massachusetts 
men  hurried  across  as  a  support.  They  cleared  the  streets  of 
the  city  next  to  the  river  and  the  pontoon  bridges  were  hastily 
completed.  Our  Brigade  was  the  second  to  cross  the  river. 
The  Thirty-fourth  New  York  had  the  lead  and  the  First  Minne 
sota  brought  up  the  rear.  Companies  B  and  D,  under  command 
of  Major  Cunningham,  were  detached  to  support  Battery  E, 
Second  U.  S.  artillery,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Benjamin,  and 
did  not  cross  the  river  with  us.  We  marched  up  Fauquier 
street  a  short  distance  in  a  direct  line  with  the  bridge  until  we 
came  near  Caroline  street,  where  there  was  some  firing.  The 
Regiment  spent  the  night  in  the  streets  of  the  city.  That  was 
a  memorable  night  in  the  history  of  the  Regiment.  Few  men 
recrossed  the  river  at  the  close  of  the  battle  without  bringing 
back  some  trophy  by  which  to  remember  the  city.  Some  of 
the  boys  slept  on  feather  beds  spread  in  the  streets.  There  were 
no  very  stringent  orders — certainly  none  that  were  obeyed — 
against  going  into  the  residences  and  helping  oneself.  There 
were  some  amusing  spectacles  resulting  from  our  indulgence  in 
the  various  intoxicants  found  in  the  cellars  of  residences,  but  to 
the  honor  of  our  soldiers  it  can  be  said,  that  no  woman  or  child 
was  insulted  or  treated  with  disrespect  while  we  occupied  the 
city. 

After  the  first  night  south  of  the  river,  the  Regiment 
moved  from  place  to  place  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  line  with 
great  frequency.  The  I2th  of  December  was  a  very  foggy  day. 
The  Second  Corps  held  the  extreme  right  of  our  line,  with  a  por 
tion  of  the  Ninth  Corps  on  its  left.  In  the  morning  of  the  i2th, 


BATTLE   OF    FREDERICKSBURG  29 

the  Regiment  moved  out  toward  the  front  and  was  placed,  with 
the  Brigade,  behind  a  small  ridge  near  the  town.  The  next 
morning  two  companies  of  the  Regiment  were  detailed  to  relieve 
a  portion  of  the  Fifteenth  Massachusetts  on  an  outpost.  The 
Regiment  moved  out  Hanover  street  early  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  1 3th,  following  Owen's  Brigade. 

Marye's  Heights  was  held  by  Longstreet  and  dur 
ing  the  terrific  storm  of  lead  and  iron,  where  thousands 
of  brave  men  were  uselessly  sacrificed,  our  Regiment  was  com 
paratively  unharmed.  Perhaps  a  postscript  in  General  Burn- 
side's  order  for  battle  had  something  to  do  with  saving  us.  The 
postscript  was  as  follows:— "As  Howard's  Division  led  into 
the  town,  it  is  proper  that  one  of  the  others  take  the' advance." 
Marye's  Heights  was  held  by  Longstreet's  Corps,  but  the  greater 
part  of  his  troops  were  as  much  spectators  of  the  battle  as  were 
the  Union  troops  around  the  Lacy  House. 

It  would  be  unprofitable  to  attempt  to  describe  the  sicken 
ing  details  of  the  unprecedented  and  criminal  slaughter  of  our 
troops  as  they  charged  hopelessly  against  the  impregnable  Con 
federate  works  along  Marye's  Heights. 

On  the  morning  of  December  I3th,  our  Brigade  was  moved 
with  the  Division  to  the  right  of  the  city,  our  Brigade  being  on 
the  extreme  right  of  the  army.  The  fog  lifted  about  ten  o'clock, 
so  that  we  could  see  the  Confederate  works,  and  the  useless 
slaughter  began  just  before  noon.  We  could  dimly  see  through 
the  smoke  the  attacks  of  the  Divisions  of  French  and  Hancock 
of  our  Corps,  as  they  bravely  crossed  the  canal  and  the  plain 
swept  by  the  enemy's  batteries  and  charged  against  the  stone 
wall  at  the  foot  of  Marye's  Heights.  One  lone  Union  soldier 
got  within  thirty  yards  of  the  Confederate  lines  and  fell  dead, 
a  sacrifice  to  Burnside's  incompetency.  The  dead  bodies  of  a 
few  others  were  found  after  the  battle  from  fifty  to  a  hundred 
yards  distant  from  the  Confederate  fortifications.  The  great 
bulk  of  our  losses  was  received  when  our  men  were  within  from 
two  to  four  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  lines. 

The  stupidity  and  obstinacy  of  Burnside  led  him,  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  i3th,  to  issue  urgent  orders  that  the  Confederate 
works  must  be  carried  before  night. 


30  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

At  the  beginning  of  the  battle,  General  E.  P.  Alexander, 
Chief  of  Artillery  in  Longstreet's  Corps,  said  to  General  Long- 
street,  with  reference  to  the  plain  over  which  our  troops  must 
charge:  "General,  we  cover  that  ground  so  that  we  will 
comb  it  as  with  a  fine-tooth  comb.  A  chicken  could  not  live 
on  that  field  when  we  open  on  it."  General  Alexander  was 
pretty  nearly  right. 

Less  than  one-half  of  the  troops  in  Lee's  army  was  actually 
engaged. 

Sergeant  Samuel  Smith,  of  Company  F,  contributes  his 
experience  in  this  battle: 

"My  experience  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  was  something  I 
shall  not  soon  forget  and  a  part  of  which  I  will  relate.  The  few  of  us 
now  left  that  were  there  at  that  time  will  remember  the  first  night  that 
we  crossed  the  river  into  the  city  of  Fredericksburg.  Street  fighting 
was  going  on  all  night  and,  although  we  were  not  in  advance,  we  had 
plenty  to  do  and  none  of  the  boys  got  any  rest.  Well  do  I  remember  the 
old  wooden  pump  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  where  I  stopped  to  get 
water  and  counted  seven  of  our  boys  stretched  on  the  ground  about  the 
pump,  where  Rebel  sharpshooters  concealed  in  a  building  near  by  had 
picked  them  off  as  fast  as  they  came  there  for  water  The  next  day 
we  were  on  duty  all  day,  though  not  much  fighting  was  done  on  our 
part  of  the  line.  The  whole  army  seemed  to  be  preparing  for  the  strug 
gle  of  the  13th,  in  which  part  of  our  Brigade  took  an  active  part. 
That  night  found  us  on  the  firing  line  and  after  it  became  quite  dark, 
an  officer  came  walking  along  in  front  of  our  line.  As  the  men  would 
raise  their  heads  to  see  who  it  could  be,  the  officer  would  say,  'General 
Howard,  boys,  General  Howard;'  and  the  sound  of  his  voice  and  the 
knowledge  that  he  was  there  seemed  to  give  the  men  some  assurance.  A 
little  later  we  had  orders  to  fall  into  line  quietly,  which  we  did  and  fell 
back  a  short  distance.  We  were  then  told  that  we  could  get  some 
rest,  which  the  men  felt  that  they  needed.  Not  all  of  us  had  the  good 
fortune  to  remain  there  long.  About  nine  o'clock  I  heard  an  orderly 
inquiring  for  our  Orderly  Sergeant.  "  Sergeant  Rideout  made  his  ap 
pearance  and  the  orderly  said  to  him,  'Sergeant,  detail  a  resolute  man 
from  your  company  to  go  on  an  outpost  in  the  face  of  the  enemy. '  Well, 
I  thought  I  was  safe.  None  of  the  boys  seemed  to  want  that  job.  Ser 
geant  Rideout  came  down  the  line,  where  most  of  the  men  were  already 
asleep  and  touched  me  with  his  boot  and  said,  'Get  up  and  report  for 
duty  with  this  man.'  I  did  as  ordered,  and  as  we  went  along,  he 
gatnered  up  one  man  from  each  company  in  the  Nineteenth  and  I  think 
some  more  in  the  rest  of  the  Brigade.  We  were  conducted  to  a  house 
well  up  on  the  right,  where  a  reserve  picket  was  quartered.  At  about 
twelve  o'clock  I  was  taken  out  by  the  Sergeant  to  a  position  well  up 
on  the  side  of  a  hill  and  very  close  to  the  rebel  pickets.  I  was  stationed 
behind  a  large,  square,  white  oak  gate  post,  such  as  was  common  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  the  sides  of  which  were  well  torn  and  splintered 
by  rebel  bullets  that  had  hit  it  the  day  before.  This  was  some  distance 
in  front  of  a  residence  which  I  have  since  learned  belonged  to  a  Dr. 
Taylor.  I  was  not  placed  there  to  fight,  but  to  watch,  and  my  orders 
were  to  remain  there  until  relieved,  unless  driven  in.  The  time  of  my 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  3! 

relief  was  very  uncertain,  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  I  remained  on  my 
side  of  the  gate  post.  In  the  morning  it  was  very  unsafe  to  relieve  me  and 
it  would  have  been  very  unsafe  for  me  to  have  gone  back  to  our  lines, 
While  lying  there  that  forenoon,  I  was  in  plain  view  of  our  artillery 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  which  was  firing  more  or  less  during 
that  time.  Their  shells  dropped  about  on  a  line  with  the  place  where  I 
lay,  and  not  a  shot,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  reached  up  to  the  rebel  works 
on  the  heights. 

"Sometime  in  the  forenoon,  General  Howard  and  his  staff  rode 
out  to  a  residence  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city  and  below  my  position 
and  in  about  one  minute  a  rebel  battery  got  their  bearing  and  sent  sev 
eral  shells  in  quick  succession  down  through  the  trees  and  shrubbery 
where  these  officers  were  watching,  whereupon  they  vacated  their 
point  of  observation  in  a  hurry.  I  remained  on  that  post  until  about 
twelve  o'clock,  when  a  Sergeant  from  the  Fifteenth  Massachusetts  came 
out  to  my  post  and  conducted  me  back  to  our  lines.  This  was  well  up 
to  our  right,  and  I  immediately  started  to  hunt  up  the  old  Regiment, 
which  I  found  down  toward  the  center  and  just  drawn  up  for  an  ad 
vance  to  the  front.  I  had  been  forty-eight  hours  without  sleep  and 
twelve  hours  under  fire." 


is  almost  miraculous  that  no  citizens  were  wounded 
in  Fredericksburg,  so  far  as  is  known.  Few  women  were  seen, 
as  the  few  who  remained  there  kept  within  the  houses.  At  one 
time  when  our  boys  were  attempting  to  get  out  of  the  range  of 
shells  which  came  ricochetting  and  bursting  down  over  Hanover 
Street,  a  young  woman  of  respectable  appearance  was  seen 
walking  along  the  street,  apparently  unconcerned,  paying  no 
attention  whatever  to  the  bursting  shells.  The  contrast  be 
tween  her  attitude  and  that  of  the  soldiers  was  at  least  inter 
esting. 

In  General  Sully's  official  report  of  the  battle,  he  makes  the 
following  complimentary  allusion  to  the  Regiment: —  "It 
would  be  impossible  for  me  to  make  any  distinction  in  the  con 
duct  of  the  regiments  of  the  Brigade; but  it  may,  however  be  my 
duty  to  especially  notice  the  Nineteenth  Regiment  Maine  Volun 
teers,  who  for  the  first  time  smelled  gunpowder,  and  apparently 
did  not  dislike  the  smell  of  it." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Heath  commanded  the  Regiment  from 
Saturday,  December  i3th,  until  we  recrossed  the  river, — Colonel 
Sewell  being  sick. 

The  losses  in  the  Union  Army  in  this  battle  were  about 
12,500  men.  The  Confederate  losses  were  about  one-third  of 
this  number,  the  greater  part  of  which  occured  on  our  left,  where 
our  men  had  at  least  some  chance  of  success.  The  casualties 


32  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

in  the  old  Second  Corps  were  3850,  the  largest  loss  which  any 
corps  suffered. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  wounded  of  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg:  • 

Company  F. 
John  E.  Brann,  Dec.  13th,  slight. 

Company  G. 

First  Lieutenant  Everett  M.  Whitehouse,  Dec.  13th,  shell  wound, 
slight. 

Gilmore  T.  Barter,  wounded  in  foot,  Dec.  13th.  Horace  Holmes' 
wounded  in  hand,  Dec.  12th. 

Company  I. 
Corporal  William  E.  Evans,  wounded  Dec.  13th. 

Under  date  of  January  ist,  Captain  Nash  wrote  as  follows: 

"The -enemy  are  still  in  the  Sebastopol  behind  Fredericksburg, 
and  continue  to  strongly  picket  their  shore  of  the  river.  They  appear 
to  be  fortifying  their  present  almost  impregnable  position,  with  con 
siderable  industry.  Until  the  recent  order  from  headquarters,  pro 
hibiting  communication  between  pickets,  the  rebels  would  manifest 
a  very  fraternizing  disposition,  and  frequently  forded  the  river  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  our  soldiers  a  friendly  visit.  These  specimens  of  the 
rebel  army  complain  much  of  being  in  need  of  blankets,  and  evince  a 
strong  regard  for  Federal  overcoats,  frequently  opening  conversation 
by  striving  to  barter  for  one.  Tobacco,  of  which  they  are  abundantly 
supplied,  is  their  standard  commodity,  and  which  they  gladly  exchange 
for  coffee,  jackknives,  pipes,  portemonnaies,  etc.  Our  soldiers  have  had 
instruction  to  let  them  have  no  clothing,  under  any  circumstances. 

"A  few  weeks  since,  our  Regiment  was  picketing  a  portion  of  the 
Rappahannock,  when  a  detachment  of  greybacks  came  down  to  the 
shore  and  inquired  if  they  might  cross.  They  were  told  that  if  they 
brought  no  weapons  with  them  they  would  not  be  detained,  so  over 
they  came,  loaded  with  tobacco.  They  were  of  the  Tenth  Alabama 
Regiment.  A  lieutenant  came  with  them.  Tobacco  is  an  article  con 
tinually  in  demand  among  soldiers,  and  of  which  at  that  time  our 
Regiment  was  nearly  destitute.  It  is  needless  for  me  to  say,  that  a 
good  supply  of  the  stuff  was  husbanded  by  the  Nineteenth  on  that  day. 
All  officers,  of  course,  discountenanced  such  proceedings  and  burned 
all  they  could  get.  If  the  rebels  are  not  open  to  the  crime  of  conveying 
comfort  to  their  enemies,  I  am  no  judge.  Since  the  return  of  the  Nine 
teenth  from  Fredericksburg,  we  have  occupied  our  old  quarters  and  kill 
time  by  company  and  battalion  drills.  Our  camp  is  two  miles  above 
Fredericksburg  and  but  a  short  distance  from  the  little  village  of 
Falmouth.  We  are  near  the  river,  and  within  shelling  distance  of  the 
rebels.  Three  lines  of  rebel  fortifications  can  be  distinctly  seen. 

"There  has  been  considerable  sickness  in  this  Regiment  since  the 
cold  weather  set  in  and  its  numbers  have  decreased  sadly.  The  sick 
and  wounded  have  been  sent  to  Washington,  and  other  places.  Our 
Brigade  is  composed  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  Thirty-fourth  New  York, 
Fifteenth  Massachusetts,  Eighty-second  New  York  and  First  Minne 
sota  Regiments;  and  is  at  present  commanded  by  Colonel  Morehead, 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  33 

of  Pennsylvania.  General  Howard  commands  our  Division.  He 
frequently  visits  us,  and  is  ever  warmly  welcomed.  That  empty 
sleeve  speaks  volumes. 

"As  to  the  recent  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  I  have  little  to  write. 
We  were  there,  and  came  back  again.  The  Nineteenth  has  elicited 
much  praise  for  its  coolness.  While  the  dead  were  multiplying  by 
scores,  all  around,  not  a  soldier  of  the  Nineteenth  was  known  to  flinch, 
notwithstanding  a  whole  brigade,  only  a  few  paces  in  the  rear,  broke 
and  ran.  Our  brigade  was  the  second  to  cross  the  river,  and  remained 
in  front  nearly  the  entire  four  days,  hourly  exposed  to  the  murderous 
shells  of  the  enemy,  as  they  crashed  through  the  buildings.  Probably 
a  more  dangerous,  important  and  honorable  position  we  will  never 
again  be  called  upon  to  occupy  for  so  long  a  period.  The  greatest 
calamity  of  all  to  our  cause,  was  the  fact  that  our  army  was  obliged 
to  retire  from  the  hard-fought  field.  But  this  need  not  discourage  us. 
The  rebels  will  not  meet  us  in  open  field.  They  know,  from  very  sad 
experience,  that  the  Yankees  can  fight  as  well  and  die  as  nobly  as 
the  best  of  chivalry.  We  will  cage  them  by  and  by.  So  let  us  con 
tinue  to  trust  in  Providence  and  General  Burnside.  Colonel  Sewell  of 
our  Regiment  is  at  present  absent  from  his  command.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Heath  fills  his  place." 

After  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  the  moral  spirit  and  con 
fidence  of  the  army  were  greatly  impaired.  A  gloomier  or  more 
disconsolate  body  of  men  it  would  be  difficult  to  find.  The  lack 
of  confidence  in  General  Burnside  was  general  throughout  the 
army.  The  men  were  willing  to  fight  and  sacrifice  where  they 
had  a  fair  show,  but  they  objected  to  giving  their  lives  an  un 
availing  sacrifice  to  the  blundering  stupidity  and  incapacity  of 
their  commanders.  The  newspaper  conception  that  soldiers 
were  "eager  for  the  fray"  was  more  of  a  fiction  than  a  reality. 

During  the  gloomy  days  at  Falmouth  after  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  it  was  a  welcome  sight  to  see  Tom  Child,  the 
regimental  postmaster,  on  that  old,  white  horse,  come  cantering 
across  the  plain  below  our  camp.  It  meant  to  many  letters  and 
papers  from  home.  Child  afterward  became  First  Lieutenant 
of  Company  E,  Thirty-first  Maine  Regiment. 

The  interesting  comments  and  reminiscences  of  Lieutenant 
George  R.  Palmer,  who  during  this  period  was  acting  Orderly 
Sergeant  of  Company  I,  are  worthy  of  insertion  here. 

"A  general  of  ancient  time^  made  himself  famous  for  building  a 
bridge  known  in  classic  literature  as  the  'Pons  Asinorum.'  If  instead 
of  boats,  General  Burnside  had  utilized  the  backs  of  asses  upon  which 
to  lay  his  bridges,  and  the  asses  had  run  away  before  the  army  crossed 
the  Rappahannock,  the  result  would  have  been  much  better  for  the 
Union  forces.  It  has  been  affirmed  that  this  pontoon  bridge  crossed 
by  our  Regiment  was  laid  in  as  hazardous  a  place  as  any  position  used 
for  such  crossing  during  the  war.  The  buildings  along  the  river  bank 


34  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

that  were  struck  by  the  shot  and  shell  of  our  artillery  before  we  crossed, 
upon  our  return  were  gazing  provokingly  at  our  rear.  We  marched  into 
quarters  at  Falmouth  upon  a  gentle  rise  of  ground  and  on  the  up-river 
side  of  our  crossing.  While  the  hill  was  in  view  from  the  river  bank 
below,  the  fact  that  we  were  to  pass  the  winter  there  was,  not  thought  of 
when  we  had  taken  our  position.  Could  we  have  known  earlier,  much 
better  would  we  have  fitted  the  situation  and  made  the  environment 
fit  ourselves. 

"Fredericksburg,  our  first  battle,  had  been  a  discouraging  intro 
duction  to  the  real  conflict  of  war.  Before  the  battle,  General  Howard 
the  Havelock  of  the  army,  addressed  the  Regiment  in  a  speech,  the 
design  of  which  was  to  raise  our  hopes  that  in  a  short  time  we  should 
drive  the  enemy  from  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg.  As  the  soldiers 
had  been  in  sight  of  that  semi-circle  of  strong  fortresses  commanding 
the  situation,  probably  the  hopes  of  many  were  mingled  with  fears. 
But  as  the  enemy  had  been  on  the  retreat  and  we  had  little  knowledge 
of  military  strategy,  we  knew  no  better  than  to  believe  trustworthy 
men,  even  when  forecasting  the  slippery  contingencies  of  war.  The 
descent  from  elevated  anticipations  only  brought  the  men  to  lower 
depression. 

"With  little  experience  in  marching,  the  Regiment  made  the  dis 
tance  from  Harper's  Ferry,  were  exposed  to  heavy  rains  and  were 
assigned  to  work  on  the  Belle  Plain  corduroy.  When  men  who  had 
never  seen  lumber  regions,  girdled  trees,  hacked  them  down  and  felled 
them  criss-cross  as  though  they  were  playing  jack  straws,  the  Maine 
soldier, — the  man  with  the  axe,  was  brought  into  service  where  he  had 
not  the  best  chances  to  take  care  of  himself.  This  being  our  first  win 
ter  in  army  life,  we  had  not  become  acclimated.  With  little  to  sustain 
the  mind  of  the  men  in  a  state  of  expectancy,  with  all  the  features  of 
the  holiday  now  gone,  and  gone  forever,  with  homesick  yearnings 
weighing  heavily  on  the  heart  after  the  disappointment  and  chagrin 
of  defeat,  and  with  little  knowledge  of  how  to  live  in  winter  quarters, 
the  body  and  mind  of  many  of  the  soldiers  lost  tone  and  in  this  debil 
itated  condition  became  easy  victims  of  disease. 

"In  winter  quarters  the  log  houses  of  the  soldiers  were  built  on 
company  streets,  at  right  angles  with  the  road  that  ran  along  the  regi 
mental  line.  Some  of  the  buildings  had  tent  roofing  and  at  the  ends 
or  sides  of  the  buildings  were  chimneys,  constructed  of  pieces  of  wood 
and  plastered  with  Virginia  mud.  If  the  plaster  did  not  stand  the 
winter,  it  was  replaced  with  new  mortar.  Northern  contractors  and 
builders  have  since  taken  up  the  fashion  of  outside  chimneys.  Bunks 
were  built  in  various  ways,  some  being  made  with  poles  and  some  with 
barrel  staves  resting  upon  side  pieces,  and  these  resting  upon  sticks 
driven  into  the  ground.  These  simple  cots  answered  for  beds  and 
seats,  and  on  them  many  soldiers  found  hard  rest,  and  suffered  com 
fort.  Upon  them,  alas  too  many  were  mustered  out  of  the  warfare  of 
life.  The  growing  timber  was  used  for  company  barracks,  and  at  first 
rather  lavishly  used  for  fires  in  the  open,  and  it  may  be  easily  imagined 
that  with  100,000  soldiers  within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles,  within  a  short 
time,  there  would  be  nothing  of  trees  but  stumps,  and  the  men  must 
make  chips  of  these  stumps  or  carry  wood  long  distances  on  their 
backs.  Large  details  were  made  for  picket  and  special  duty,  and  com 
pany  and  regimental  drills  were  kept  up  when  the  weather  per 
mitted.  Sickness  made  its  encroachments,  and  the  mettle  of  the 
men  was  severely  tested.  If  not  in  cold  and  exposure,  in  other  forms 
of  trial  our  Falmouth  camp  was  our  Valley  Forge  of  the  civil  war. 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  35 

Visiting  the  surgeon's  quarters  soon  became  a  regular  and  somewhat 
prominent  part  of  the  day's  duties.  During  the  winter,  the  Regiment 
lost  about  one  hundred  men  by  sickness,  and  the  burial  of  the  com 
rades  was  a  pathetic  sight.  Some  one  from  an  adjacent  regiment  said 
that  'the  Nineteenth  Maine  men  are  building  a  railroad  to  the  grave 
yard.'  One  by  one,  one  by  one,  these  men  were  borne  along  that  track. 
The  expiring  comrade  'wrapt  the  drapery  of  his  couch  about  him,' 
and  that  drapery  was  the  army  blanket.  In  this  he  was  buried,  and 
his  only  headstone  was  a  piece  of  hard  bread  box.  Later  some  boxes 
were  provided  in  which  the  dead  were  buried.  The  signal  of  the  burial 
was  given  by  the  muffled  drum,  the  powerful  pathos  of  which  went 
through  all  the  camp.  Amid  the  sadness  of  a  burial  a  peculiar  incident 
occurred  which  may  be  remanded  to  the  realm  of  the  serio-comic. 
Several  regiments  used  the  same  cemetery,  and  a  detail  from  one  regi 
ment  (and  because  of  the  high  respect  for  the  honor  of  our  own,  let  it 
not  be  designated),  was  ordered  to  dig  a  grave.  Arriving  at  the  burial 
lot,  they  found  a  grave  already  dug  for  a  departed  comrade  of  another 
regiment.  As  this  discovery  relieved  them  from  the  necessity  of  dig 
ging  in  hard  pan,  they  appropriated  the  grave,  and  the  best  thing  for 
the  other  regiment  to  do  was  to  accept  the  situation  and  dig  another 
grave,  which  they  did  with  muttered  curses.  Two  things  with  interro 
gation  points  may  be  said  in  palliation  of  the  ridiculous  act  of  stealing 
a  grave.  One  is  that  it  is  not  uncommon  for  men  among  soldiers  and 
soldiers  to  have  an  unwritten  law  that  it  is  their  privilege  to  appropri 
ate  anything  not  under  guard.  The  other  e'xtenuation  is  the  late  claim 
of  science  that  in  embryo  a  person  may  be  vaccinated  with  lazy  bac 
teria  that  convinces  him  that  he  should  not  work  for  anything  that  his. 
ingenuity  can  extract  from  the  other  fellow. 

"In  winter  quarters  at  first  one  or  more  of  the  companies  had 
company  cooks,  and  from  large  kettles  burnt  rice  and  other  unrecog 
nized  foods  not  tempting  to  epicures,  were  served.  So  the  soldiers 
soon  messed  in  groups  and  cooked  their  food  according  to  their  own 
skill  and  tastes,  and  found  that  more  satisfactory.  The  commissary 
supplied  a  preparation  called  'desiccated  vegetables,'  and  as  the  name 
was  unfamiliar,  the  men  persisted  in  calling  it  'desecrated'  vegetables, 
and  they  seemed  to  have  a  prejudice  against  it.  Doubtless  this  oddly 
flavored  ration  was  healthful  for  those  who  would  eat  it.  Boxes  of 
articles  for  comfort  and  luxury  were  sent  from  friends  at  home,  and  as 
transportation  was  insufficient  for  extras  in  addition  to  the  enormous 
freight,  perishable  articles  were  often  delayed,  with  damage  to  the 
goods  and  disappointment  to  the  soldiers.  Not  only  were  the  choicest 
delicacies  spoiled,  but  those  cure-all,  home-made  wines  and  other 
restoratives  and  delicious  drinks  were  sometimes  missing  from  the 
cases.  One  explanation  of  this  was  that  the  boxes  were  inspected 
at  Division  headquarters,  and  that  the  officers,  thinking  the  thirsty 
soldiers  might  inbibe  too  freely  and  suffer  for  it,  and  thinking  it  wrong 
to  waste  delicacies,  devoted  the  libations  in  honor  of  Bacchus  by  the 
modern  method  of  appropriating  it  to  themselves.  However  this  may 
be,  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  veteran  is  due  to  the  friends  at  home 
who  spared  no  pains  to  relieve  the  want  of  soldiers  and  provide  them 
supplies  for  emergencies  in  the  form  of  lint,  bandages  and  medicines 
The  government  tried  hard  to  make  connection  between  the  Northern 
home  and  the  Virginia  camp.  The  hearts  of  the  dear  ones  at  home  were 
with  the  absent  ones,  and  oftimes  in  the  thought  and  dreams  of  the 
soldier,  the  home  and  the  camp  were  nearer  together  than  were  the 
comrades  who  touched  elbows. 


36  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

"While  in  winter  quarters  the  commissary  somewhat  enlarged 
the  bill  of  fare  and  bighearted  Uncle  Sam  tried  to  do  his  best  for  us. 
Sometimes  rations  were  delayed,  hard  bread  was  piled  up  by  the  sta 
tions  and  exposed  to  rain.  Many  of  the  men  could  testify  to  their 
sorrow  that  when  the  meals  were  served,  uninvited  guests  would 
appear,  and  their  presence  had  a  peculiar  effect.  The  mt>re  the  guests 
the  more  dinner  was  left  when  the  meal  was  ended,  for  they  came  'not 
to  eat  but  to  be  eaten,'  and  they  always  failed  to  bring  any  appetizer 
with  them. 

"Crawling  worms  were  not  the  most  humiliating  visitors  in  an 
old  camp.  The  great  body  of  our  men  (for  this  was  before  we  had  the 
city  bounty- jumpers)  were  men  from  good  families,  who  had  been 
taught  that  cleanliness  was  next  to  godliness,  and  there  may  have  been 
more  who  were  making  a  brave  fight  to  get  next  to  their  godliness  than 
there  were  seeking  the  attainment  itself.  Alas,  before  the  warm  spring 
returned  one  of  the  plagues  of  Egypt  appeared.  In  Egypt  the  dust 
was  changed  to  living  things,  but  whence  these  visitors  came  the  soldier 
knew  not  and  little  cared  if  they  could  rid  themselves  of  the  hateful, 
abominable  creatures.  The  veterans  engaged  in  a  war  of  extermina 
tion  and  the  only  sure  cure  was  the  boiling  of  garments  in  camp  kettles." 

Two  abortive  attempts  to  advance  with  the  army  were 
made  by  General  Burnside  after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg 
and  before  he  was  removed.  The  first  of  these  was  made  near 
the  close  of  December,  when  Burnside  planned  to  cross  the 
Rappahannock  some  seven  miles  below  Fredericksburg  and 
attack  the  right  flank  of  Lee's  army  and  at  the  same  time  to  send 
a  cavalry  expedition  around  the  Confederate  right  flank  and 
rear  to  cut  the  railroad  communications  of  the  enemy.  The 
cavalry  expedition  had  already  started.  President  Lincoln 
telegraphed  Burnside  on  December  3othnot  to  undertake  active 
operations  without  consulting  him.  This  put  an  end  to  the 
movement,  and  Burnside,  chagrined  by  the  instructions  of  the 
President,  went  to  Washington.  Upon  visiting  the  President, 
Burnside  was  informed  that  certain  officers  from  the  army  had 
represented  that  owing  to  the  feeling  of  distrust  and  general 
demoralization  of  the  troops  any  advance  of  the  army  then 
would  be  unfortunate.  Burnside  returned  to  the  army  and  re 
sumed  the  humiliating  position  of  commander  without  the  con 
fidence  of  his  subordinate  officers  or  the  administration  at 
Washington.  He  ought  not  to  have  been  required  to  occupy 
this  position,  under  the  circumstances,  for  a  single  day. 

It  appears  that  Generals  John  Newton  and  John  Cochrane 
of  the  Sixth  Army  Corps,  the  latter  part  of  December,  1862, 
went  to  Washington  and  represented  to  the  President  the  con- 


BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG  37 

dition  of  the  army  and  its  lack  of  confidence  in  Burnside.  Gen 
eral  Burnside  received  some  information  from  the  President  and 
afterwards  learned  fully  of  this  clandestine  visit  of  Newton  and 
Cochrane,  He  then  prepared  what  he  called  General  Order  No.  8, 
dismissing  from  service  Generals  Hooker,  Brooks  and  Newton, 
and  relieving  from  duty  Generals  Franklin,  W.  F.  Smith,  Sturgis, 
Ferrero,  Cochrane  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  H.  Taylor.  The 
President  disapproved  the  order  and  directed  Burnside  not  to 
advance  with  the  army  again  without  his  consent. 

During  the  next  month  a  half-hearted  assent  for  another 
advance  movement  was  obtained  from  General  Halleck  with 
the  tacit  approval  of  the  President.  This  contemplated  crossing 
th^  army  at  Bank's  Ford,  some  seven  miles  above  Fredericks- 
burg.  Feints  of  crossing  were  to  be  made  at  different  points 
above  and  below  the  city  in  order  to  mask  the  real  intent.  This 
was  the  celebrated  "mud  march"  of  January  20-23,  1863.  The 
Second  Corps,  being  encamped  in  sight  of  the  enemy,  was  to 
remain  in  camp  until  the  other  troops  had  effected  a  crossing  of 
the  river.  On  the  ijth  and  i8th  of  January  the  weather 
turned  cold  and  the  ground  froze  hard.  Unusual  activity  pre 
vailed  throughout  the  army.  On  account  of  the  weather,  the 
movement  was  postponed  for  twenty-four  hours.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  2Oth,  the  army,  except  Sumner's  Grand  Division, 
started  out.  It  was  a  cloudy,  threatening  day.  Infantry,  bat 
teries,  artillery,  ammunition  wagons  and  pontoon  boats  mingled 
in  some  confusion,  and  staff  officers  hurrying  forward  and  back, 
all  pressed  forward  toward  the  place  of  crossing.  Early  in  the 
evening  a  cold  rain  set  in  and,  with  heavy  wind  prevailing  much 
of  the  time,  it  rained  incessantly  for  thirty  hours.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  very  bottom  had  dropped  out  of  the  earth.  The 
soldiers  sunk  to  their  knees  in  mud,  which  resembled  sticky 
paste.  Cannon  and  wagons  sank  to  the  hubs  of  the  wheels.  Long 
ropes  were  obtained  and  hitched  to  carriages  on  which  were  the 
pontoons  and  men  were  detailed  to  pull  them  out  of  the  mud. 
But  it  was  mud  everywhere  and  men  were  set  at  work  building 
corduroy  roads  over  which  wagons  and  cannon  might  be  drawn. 
The  "Johnnies"  goodnaturedly  offered  to  come  over  the  river 


38  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

and  help  us  out  of  the  mud.  The  movement  was  abandoned  and 
the  disgusted  and  bedraggled  troops  waded  back  to  their  camps. 
The  Nineteenth  Maine  remained  in  their  tents,  discussing  and 
commenting  on  the  proper  way  to  conduct  the  war. 

There  was  a  review  of  the  Second  Corps  by  Generals  Sumner 
and  Burnsideon  the  lyth  of  January.  It  was  a  cold,  perfunctory 
affair.  General  Huoker  superseded  General  Burnside  in  com 
mand  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  late  in  January  and 
General  Sumner,  the  old  commander  of  the  Second  Corps, 
retired  from  active  service  and  went  to  his  home  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  where  he  died  two  months  later.  General  Sumner 
was  not  a  West  Point  officer.  He  had  been  in  the  military  ser 
vice  continuously  for  upwards  of  forty  years,  having  served  in 
the  Mexican  War  and  in  Kansas  during  its  bloody  history, 
where  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  Jeff  Davis,  the  then  Secre 
tary  of  War.  Before  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  War  he 
was  Colonel  of  the  First  United  States  Cavalry  and  among  the 
subordinate  officers  of  that  regiment  were  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  John  Sedgwick,  Frank  Wheaton  and  David 
S.  Stanley.  General  Sumner  accompanied  President  Lin 
coln  from  Springfield,  Illinois,  to  Washington,  in  February  1861. 
having  been  selected  for  that  duty  by  General  Scott.  He  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  loyal  officers  in  the 
Union  Army. 


THE    CHANCELLORSVILLE    CAMPAIGN 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  CHANCELLORSVILLE  CAMPAIGN 

General  Hooker  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  succeeding  General  Burnside,  on  the  25th  of  January, 
1863.  The  Grand  Division  organization  introduced  by  Burn- 
side  was  abandoned.  General  Franklin  was  relegated  to  the 
rear  because  of  charges  made  against  him  by  Burnside  of  showing 
lack  of  energy  on  the  I3th  of  December.  General  Hooker  in 
troduced  "Corps  badges,"  which  became  so  convenient  and 
popular  and  they  continued  to  be  used  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
The  device  for  the  Second  Corps  badge  was  a  trefoil  or  clover- 
leaf, — the  First  Division  being  red  in  color,  the  Second  white 
and  the  Third  blue.  So  the  Nineteenth  boys  sewed  upon  their 
caps  this  badge,  a  clover-leaf  shape  made  of  white  cloth.  Some 
had  silver  badges,  as  they  were  more  aristocratic  in  appearance. 

The  army  was  reinforced  by  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
Corps,  under  Generals  Howard  and  Slocum,  from  other  depart 
ments,  to  compensate  for  losses  incurred  in  the  battle  of  Fred- 
ericksburg.  General  Howard  did  not  assume  the  command  of  the 
Eleventh  Corps  until  some  time  in  April,  and  he  was  succeeded 
in  command  of  our  Division  by  Brigadier-General  John  Gibbon, 
from  the  first  corps. 

Whatever  may  have  been  Hooker's  shortcomings,  he  was 
an  excellent  organizer.  The  men's  rations  were  improved, 
new  clothing  was  issued  and  regular  battallion  and  brigade  drills 
were  instituted.  New  life  was  instilled  into  all  departments  of 
the  army.  The  cavalry  was  for  the  first  time  brought  forward 
and  used  as  an  important  arm  of  the  service,  desertions  practic 
ally  ceased  and  a  new  spirit  was  infused  into  the  body  of  the  sol 
diery.  Orders  were  given  on  January  3oth  from  the  head 
quarters  of  the  army  that  furloughs  might  be  granted  for  fifteen 
days  to  one  regimental  and  two  line  officers  to  each  regiment 


4O  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

and  two  enlisted  men  for  every  one  hundred  men  present  for 
duty.  This  gave  each  company  a  furlough  for  one  enlisted 
man. 

Sergeant   Samuel  Smith,  of  Company   F,  gives   his  ex 
perience  in  obtaining  a  furlough  at  this  time. 

"About  ten  or  twelve  men  in  Company  F  put  in  an  application 
for  a  furlough,  and  the  Captain  decided  to  determine  who  was  entitl 
ed  thereto  by  drawing  lots.  One  evening  the  applicants  gathered 
about  his  tent  and  he  put  into  a  hat  as  many  tickets  as  there  were 
applicants  for  furloughs,  all  of  the  tickets  being  blanks  but  one, 
and  that  was  marked  'furlough.'  The  men  began  to  draw  out 
blanks  but  when  it  came  my  turn,  I  put  my  hand  into  the  hat  and 
took  out  the  'furlough.'  Well,  this  was  a  new  sensation,  as  I  had 
never  thought  of  going  home  until  the  expiration  of  my  term  of  ser 
vice:  The  names  of  the  applicants  were  sent  to  headquarters  and  in 
due  time  the  papers  came  around,  with  all  necessary  red  tape  attached  . 
On  my  furlough  appeared  the  following  signatures  with  their  approval : 
Captain  I.  W.  Starbird,  commanding  Company;  Major  H.  W.  Cun 
ningham,  commanding  Regiment;  Colonel  F.  D.  Sewell,  commanding 
Brigade ;  Brigadier-General  Joshua  T.  Owen,  commanding  Second 
Division;  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard,  commanding  Second  Corps; 
Major-General  D.  N.  Couch,  commanding  Right  Grand  Division.  I 
have  the  furlough  yet  and  in  good  state  of  preservation.  It  is  dated 
near  Falmouth,  Virginia,  February  4th,  '63,  and  in  it  I  was  directed  to 
report  back  to  my  Company  at  the  expiration  of  fifteen  days  or  be  con 
sidered  a  deserter.  The  next  morning  a  large  company  of  us  started 
for  Belle  Plain  Landing,  where,  we  were  told,  a  steamer  would  be  in 
waiting  to  take  us  to  Washington.  There  was  a  small  steamer  waiting 
for  us,  but  it  did  not  take  a  very  keen  observer  to  see  that  when  the 
steamer  was  loaded  to  the  gunwales  there  would  still  be  a  big  crowd 
on  the  shore.  Every  man  must  go  to  a  little  office  window,  present  his 
furlough  and  have  it  leisurely  looked  over  by  the  one  clerk,  before  he 
could  get  his  ticket  for  the  boat.  I  decided  that  if  I  was  left  it  would 
not  be  my  fault.  So  when  the  steamer  had  taken  about  the  last  man 
she  could  carry,  I  was  on  board  and  we  started  north,  leaving  many 
disappointed  men  on  the  wharf." 

Before  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  there  had  been  several 
changes  among  the  commissioned  officers  of  the  Regiment. 
Colonel  Sewell  resigned  February  i9th,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Heath  was  promoted  to  be  Colonel,  March  2nd,  1863.  Chap 
lains  Whittlesey  and  Palmer  had  both  resigned  and  left  the 
Regiment,  the  former  in  September,  1862,  and  the  latter  in 
February,  1863,  and  Rev.  George  W.  Hathaway,  a  Congrega 
tional  minister  from  Skowhegan,was  commissionedChaplain  and 
remained  with  the  Regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war.  James 
M.  Hathaway,  Captain  of  Company  A,  resigned  Nov.  5,  '62, 
and  Lieutenant  Spaulding  was  promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy. 


THE    CHANCELLORSVILLE    CAMPAIGN  41 

Captain  Horace  C.  Noyes,  of  Company  B,  resigned  February  20, 
'63,  and  Lieutenant  Parsons  was  promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy 
some  months  later.  Charles  H.  Rowell,  Captain  of  Company  C, 
had  resigned  October  12,  '62,  and  Lieutenant  Whitmore,  of 
Company  F,  was  promoted  to  the  vacancy.  Daniel  L.  Dickey, 
Captain  of  Company  E,  resigned  January  i,  '63,  and  Lieutenant 
Richards  of  the  same  Company  was  promoted  to  the  vacant 
Captaincy.  Joseph  Eaton,  Jr.,  Captain  of  Company  H,  re 
signed  October  3 1/62, and  Lieutenant  Lincoln  of  the  same  Com 
pany  was  promoted  to  be  Captain.  Captain  Edwin  A.  Snow, 
Company  I,  resigned  February  23,  '63,  and  First  Lieutenant 
George  D.  Smith  became  Captain  of  the  Company.  Charles  L. 
Larrabee,  Captain  of  Company  K,  resigned  March  3/63,  and 
Lieutenant  Bunker  became  the  Captain  of  the  Company  the 
same  month.  William  Clements  and  Jasper  Gordon,  Lieuten 
ants  of  Company  B,. resigned,  the  former,  October  17,  '62,  and 
the  latter  February  17,  '63.  Lieutenants  Joseph  H.  Hunt  and 
Francis  M.  Ames,  of  Company  C,  resigned  October  21  and  No 
vember  1 8,  respectively.  Lieutenant  James  Johnson,  of  Com 
pany  E,  resigned  October  2,  '62.  Lieutenant  Gershom  F.  Bur 
gess,  of  Company  I,  resigned  February  10,  '63.  Lieutenant 
Almon  Goodwin,  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  C,  resigned, 
by  reason  of  ill  health,  December  17,  '62.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Bowdoin  College  and  very  highly  respected.  Second  Lieuten 
ant  B.  B.  Hansen,  of  Company  K,  resigned  January  23,  '63. 
Many  of  these  resignations  of  Lieutenants  were  filled  by  pro 
motion  from  the  ranks.  The  eificiency  of  the  Regiment  was  in 
no  way  diminished  by  these  changes. 

First  Lieutenant  Joseph  Nichols,  of  Company  C,  was  tried 
by  courtmartial  and  cashiered  February  16,  '63.  He  had  re 
signed,  urging  as  a  reason  that  he  did  not  approve  of  President 
Lincoln's  proclamation  of  emancipation.  The  resignation  was 
disapproved  and  forwarded  to  Brigade  and  Division  headquar 
ters.  Either  at  Division  or  Corps  headquarters  the  resignation 
was  returned  with  orders  to  place  Lieutenant  Nichols  under 
arrest,  confine  him  in  the  guard  house  and  immediately  prefer 
charges  against  him.  Lieutenant  Nichols  was  from  Phippsburg, 


42  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

a  democrat  in  politics  and  when  he  entered  the  service  his  demo 
cratic  friends  laughed  at  him  for  going  into  the  army  to  "fight 

for  the  d d  niggers."  Nichols  did  not  expect  his  resignation 

to  be  accepted.  He  expected  a  reprimand  and. then  having 
placed  himself  right  with  his  democratic  associates  at  home,  he 
would  gladly  and  loyally  serve  his  country  in  the  field.  He  was 
a  pleasant  and  lovable  man  and  the  officers  and  a  great  many  of 
the  men  were  very  fond  of  him.  Captain  Fogler  defended  him 
before  the  court  martial.  He  left  the  Regiment  regretted  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

From  the  time  of  our  arrival  at  Falmouth,  much  sickness 
prevailed  and  the  losses  in  the  Regiment  by  death  was  some 
thing  fearful.  Many  were  discharged  from  the  service  that 
first  winter  by  reason  of  disease.  Within  two  months  from  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  ten  boys  sickened  and  died  in  Com 
pany  A,  and  nine  in  Company  I.  The  death  rate  was  nearly 
as  large  in  some  of  the  other  companies.  Many  of  these 
lives  might  have  been  saved  could  they  have  had  proper  medi 
cal  advice  and  nourishing  food  in  the  early  stages  of  their 
illness. 

When  the  men  of  the  Regiment  awoke  on  the  morning  of 
February  22nd,  they  were  surprised  to  find  a  foot  of  snow  on 
the  ground.  It  snowed  nearly  all  day  and  the  weather  became 
very  cold.  On  the  3ist  of  March  another  cold  snowstorm 
occurred. 

The  records  of  the  Regiment  disclose  that  Captain  Lincoln 
of  Company  H, overstayed  his  leave  of  absence  in  February, '63, 
was  tried  and  acquitted  by  a  military  court.  The  same  kind 
of  treatment  was  accorded  Lieutenant  Hunter  the  same  month. 
In  early  April,  '63,  Major  Welch  overstayed  his  fifteen  days' 
leave  of  absence  by  one  day  and  after  a  laborious  session  of  the 
court-martial,  he  was  acquitted.  Enlisted  men  paid  the  penalty 
for  like  offense  by  a  sojourn  in  the  guard  house.  Adjutant 
Haskell  overstayed  his  leave  of  absence  from  March  lyth,  to 
2ist,  '63,  and  a  court-martial  in  his  case  resulted  in  a  forfeiture 
of  four  days'  pay.  The  records  disclose  that  Adjutant  Haskell 
was  frequently  under  arrest  and  always  by  order  of  Lieutenant 


THE   CHANCELLLORSVILLE  CAMPAIGN  43 

Colonel  Cunningham.  He  would  generally  be  released  from 
arrest  upon  the  return  of  Colonel  Heath.  In  fact,  the  relation 
ship  between  Cunningham  and  Haskell  was  not  of  the  David 
and  Jonathan  type. 

The  letter  of  Captain  Nash  dated  February  i5th,  1863,  con 
tains  the  following: 

"The  Nineteenth  has  very  comfortable  winter  quarters,  and 
affairs  move  along  pleasantly.  A  recent  inpection  of  the  Regiments, 
in  accordance  with  orders  from  General  Hooker,  gives  us  the  following 
report : 

'There  is  no  better  Regiment  of  its  age  in  the  service.  Well 
drilled,  well  disciplined,  in  excellent  condition,  and  well  cared  for. 

GEORGE  W.  MACY,    Inspector    First    Brigade,    Second 

Division,    Second   Corps, 
Major,  Twentieth  Massachusetts  Vols., 
A  fine  regiment. 

A.  F.  DEVEREUX,  Division  Inspecting  Officer, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Nineteenth  Massachusetts  Vols. 
"The  Regiment  has  earned  its  enviable  reputation  and  will  main 
tain  it  untarnished.     Its  rolls  show  a  larger  number  of  men  for  duty 
than  any  other  Maine  Regiment  now  in  the  field,  whose  term  of  service 
is  three  years.     It  is  considered  by  the  boys  a  thing  of  considerable 
bigness  to  have  their  Regiment  stand  the  highest  among  the  thirteen 
regiments  composing  the  Second  Division." 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  General  Order  No.  18 
from  the  headquarters  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  dated 
March  3rd,  '63,  the  Regiment  was  granted  one-third  more  fur 
loughs  by  reason  of  the  high  commendation  of  inspection 
officers .  This  distinction  was  given  to  the  Nineteenth  as  one  out 
of  twelve  regiments  in  the  army  thus  honored.  The  First  Min 
nesota,  of  our  Brigade,  was  one  of  the  twelve  regiments.  The 
Tenth  Maine  was  also  in  this  list. 

Late  in  March,  Governor  Andrew  G.  Curtin  came  to  the 
army  and  the  Pennsylvania  troops  in  our  Division  were  drawn 
up  in  a  hollow  square  to  receive  him.  Governor  Curtin  deliver 
ed  to  them  a  patriotic  address.  He  was  a  fine  looking  man 
and  an  excellent  speaker.  Many  of  the  men  from  our  Regi 
ment  went  over  to  listen  to  his  speech  and  joined  in  cheering  at 
its  close. 

Senator  Henry  Wilson  of  Massachusetts  attended  the  dress 
parade  of  the  Fifteenth  Massachusetts  on  April  i6th,  and  some 
of  our  boys  had  an  opportunity  to  hear  him  speak.  He  was  a 


44  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

swarthy  man,  with  a  clean-shaven  face,  and  was  an  attractive 
speaker. 

The  use  of  balloons  was  first  employed,  in  a  practical  way, 
by  the  Union  Army  on  the  Peninsula  in  April,  i86!>.  The  usual 
height  of  observation  was  some  less  than  a  thousand  feet.  The 
enemy  sometimes  used  a  Whitworth  gun  on  the  balloon  when 
poised  in  the  air  about  three  hundred  feet  high.  The  men  of 
the  Nineteenth  will  remember  how  rapidly  the  observation 
balloon  descended  several  times  in  the  vicinity  of  Falmouth 
when  fired  at  in  the  spring  of  1863.  About  this  time  their  use 
was  abandoned.  The  writer  could  never  understand  why  the 
employment  of  these  military  balloons  was  given  up.  1  heir 
use  made  it  possible  to  observe  the  position  and  movements  of 
the  enemy  when  atmospheric  conditions  were  favorable.  Even 
if  the  observers  never  saw  very  much,  they  were  worth  all  they 
cost  by  the  annoyance  and  delays  they  caused  the  enemy  in 
trying  to  keep  their  movements  concealed. 

Early  in  April,  President  Lincoln,  his  wife  and  son  Thomas 
("Tad"),  came  down  to  visit  the  Army.  On  the  6th  of  April 
the  President  reviewed  the  Second  Corps  and  some  other  troops. 
Mr.  Lincoln,  his  son,  General  Hooker,  Couch  and  many  other 
officers  rode  along  our  lines  and  then  we  marched  in  review 
before  them.  The  President,  instead  of  having  a  very  large 
horse  to  ride,  corresponding  in  some  degree  with  his  own  great 
height,  had  a  horse  rather  below  the  average  size,  thus  compell 
ing  the  President  to  ride  in  an  awkward  position.  He  wore 
a  high  silk  hat.  Little  Tad,  now  ten  or  eleven  years  of  age,  who 
had  become  the  President's  almost  constant  companion,  was 
mounted  upon  a  small  sized  horse  and  rode  like  a  veteran. 
President  Lincoln  seemed  intent  upon  looking  into  the  faces  of 
his  soldiers.  The  writer  will  never  forget  the  President's  anx 
ious  expression,  the  deep  lines  of  care  and  suffering  upon  his 
face,  the  great  furrows  marked  upon  his  patient  features  by  long 
months  of  suffering  and  disappointment.  He  looked,  indeed, 
as  though  he  was  carrying  a  great  burden. 

General  Hooker  gave  the  Presidential  party  a  great  dinner, 
at  which  all  the  Corps  commanders  were  present.  Before 


THE   CHANCELLORSVILLE   CAMPAIGN  45 

leaving  for  Washington,  President  Lincoln  called  General 
Hooker  and  General  Couch,  his  senior  Corps  commander,  aside, 
and  while  endeavoring  to  impress  upon  them  certain  things, 
which  he  desired,  these  were  almost  his  last  words:  "In  your 
next  battle,  put  in  all  your  men."  If  this  injunction  had  been 
obeyed,  the  humiliating  history  of  Chancellorsville  need  never 
have  been  written. 

The  Second  Corps  had  been  called  upon  to  perform  no  duty 
outside  of  picketing  and  camp  guard  since  the  middle  of  Decem 
ber,  except  that  our  Division  had  gone  out  on  the  Hartwood 
Church  road  as  far  as  Berea  Church,  some  ten  or  twelve  miles, 
on  the  25th  of  February.  This  movement  was  for  the  purpose 
of  intercepting  a  body  of  Confederate  cavalry,  raiding  on  the 
right  flank  of  our  army.  The  Regiment  left  camp  about  nine 
o'clock  at  night  and  a  little  after  midnight  it  began  to  rain.  A 
short  time  previous  to  this  there  had  been  a  fall  of  snow  to  the 
depth  of  six  or  seven  inches,  which  had  turned  to  slush  and 
water.  The  boys  just  waded  in  slush  and  by  daylight  the  next 
morning  the  rain  was  coming  down  in  torrents.  We  simply 
marched  out  and  then  marched  back  through  this  pelting  storm. 
The  enemy  was  not  disposed  to  wait  for  us,  so  we  did  not  meet 
him.  We  got  back  from  this  disagreeable  expedition  about 
noon  the  next  day. 

The  movement  of  the  troops  under  General  Hooker  prepar 
atory  to  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  began  as  early  as  April 
2 1  st.  The  real  movements,  however,  began  on  the  2yth  of 
April.  General  Hooker's  army  at  this  time  comprised  seven 
Corps  of  three  Divisions  each  and  numbered  about  1 18,000  men. 
The  number  of  the  Corps  and  their  commanders  were  as  follows : 
—First  Corps,  General  Reynolds;  Second,  Couch;  Third,  Sickles; 
Fifth,  Meade;  Sixth,  Sedgwick;  Eleventh,  Howard;  Twelfth, 
Slocum.  For  the  first  time  the  cavalry  was  organized  into 
a  separate  Corps  and  numbered  about  12,000  men, 
under  command  of  General  Stoneman.  The  batteries,  compris 
ing  some  four  hundred  guns,  were  distributed  among  the  infantry 
divisions,  excepting  some  ten  or  fifteen  batteries  held  in  reserve 
for  emergencies.  The  Confederate  army  at  this  time  was 


46  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

divided  into  two  corps,  one  commanded  by  Jackson  and  the 
other  by  Longstreet.  These  corps  had  four  divisions  each. 
General  Longstreet  himself  with  two  divisions  of  his  Corps  was 
not  present  at  the  battle  but  was  operating  in  the  region  about 
Suffolk.  It  is  pretty  difficult  to  state  accurately  the  strength 
of  the  Confederate  forces  at  Chancellorsville.  They  claim  that 
they  did  not  have  to  exceed  60,000  men  of  all  arms.  General 
Stuart  commanded  their  cavalry,  numbering  between  3,000  and 
4,000  men.  The  field  batteries  of  the  Confederates  comprised 
about  175  guns. 

Our  task  is  to  tell  what  Hooker  did,  and  not  what  he 
might  have  done.  It  is  not  within  the  proper  scope  of  this 
history  to  trace  and  analyze  all  the  marvelous  blunders  which 
turned  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  into  a  disgraceful  defeat. 
Some  outline  of  the  battle,  however,  must  be  given  in  order 
that  the  reader  may  the  better  understand  the  movements  of 
the  troops  in  our  own  Brigade. 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  plan  of  the  battle  origi 
nally  was  excellent  and  everything  moved  as  designed  until 
the  troops  were  all  in  their  appointed  places  on  the  afternoon 
of  Thursday,  the  3Oth  of  April.  Then  and  during  the  next 
few  days  there  were  manifested  a  series  of  blunders,  a  working 
at  cross-purposes,  vascillation  and  incompetency,  hardly  par 
alleled  during  the  war.  The  Corps  commanders  were  all  loyal 
to  Hooker  and  endeavored  to  carry  out  his  vascillating  in 
structions.  Outside  of  the  shameful  rout  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps  on  the  3rd  of  May,  the  men  stood  bravely  by  their  guns 
and  fought  well.  For  the  surprise^  and  rout  of  the 
Eleventh  Corps  the  men  in  the  ranks  were  in  no  wise  responsible. 

The  cavalry,  except  one  Brigade,  was  all  sent  off  under 
General  Stoneman,  some  days  before  the  battle  of  Chancellors 
ville,  to  cut  the  railroad  communications  of  the  enemy.  Gen 
eral  Hooker  was  thus  deprived  of  an  important  branch  of  his 
army  when  he  most  needed  it.  As  the  cavalry  under  Stone 
man  had  no  more  influence  on  the  results  of  the  battle  than  as 
though  they  had  been  in  camp  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  mention  this  arm  of  the  ser- 


THE   CKANCELLORSVILLE   CAMPAIGN  47 

vice  while  discussing  Chancellorsville.  Before  two  o'clock  p.  m., 
Thursday,  April  3Oth,  the  Fifth,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps, 
having  crossed  the  river  some  distance  to  the  northwest,  ar 
rived  at  Chancellorsville.  The  troops  were  in  fine  condition, 
greatly  elated  over  the  fact,  that  without  fighting,  they  were 
upon  the  flank  of  the  enemy,  taking  in  reverse  his  entire  system 
of  river  defenses.  Chancellorsville  is  on  the  eastern  border  of 
that  "wilderness"  in  which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  caught 
a  year  later — a  region  of  tangled  thickets,  of  stunted  pine, 
scrub  oak,  blind  paths,  ravines  and  swamps.  No  enemy  of 
any  account  was  in  front  of  the  troops.  Less  than  two  miles 
to  the  east,  the  country  was  open  and  the  ground  high,  affording 
an  opportunity  for  the  use  of  artillery.  The  troops  around 
Chancellorsville  on  this  afternoon  (some  40,000  in  number) 
were  under  command  of  General  Slocum,  the  senior  officer 
present,  who  had  been  ordered  by  General  Hooker  to  advance 
far  enough  to  uncover  Banks'  Ford,  if  the  enemy  was  not  in 
any  "considerable  force"  in  his  front.  Why  was  this  not  done? 
Because  General  Hooker  himself,  at  2:15  p.  m.,  issued  another 
order  reading,  "No  advance  beyond  Chancellorsville  until  col 
umns  are  concentrated."  It  does  not  appear  why  this  order 
modifying  the  former  instructions  was  issued.  General  Hooker 
arrived  upon  the  field  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  issued  his 
bombastic  order  reciting  that  "our  enemy  must  either  inglo- 
riously  fly  or  come  out  from  behind  his  defenses  and  give  us  bat 
tle  on  our  own  ground,  where  certain  destruction  awaits  him." 
This  was  a  statement  not  warranted  by  the  facts  and  a  predic 
tion,  unfortunately,  that  was  not  fulfilled. 

On  Friday,  May  ist,  late  in  the  morning,  the  Union  forces 
at  Chancellorsville,  under  orders  from  Hooker,  pushed  out  to 
ward  Fredericksburg.  On  the  day  before  our  troops  might 
have  advanced  beyond  the  confines  of  the  wilderness  without 
any  serious  fighting.  An  hour  or  so  was  now  consumed  in 
reconnoitering  the  ground  to  the  front.  Two  divisions  of  the 
Second  Corps  were  present.  The  Union  forces  moved  out  in 
three  columns  and  gained  the  high  ground  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  wilderness  where  the  country  was  open  and  artillery  could 


48  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

be  used.  This  advanced  position  was  obtained  after  some  spir 
ited  fighting  on  the  turnpike.  Everything  seemed  to  be  moving 
to  the  advantage  of  the  Union  forces.  A  little  after  noon,  and 
after  one  hour's  time  consumed  in  the  advance  movement,  an 
order  came  from  General  Hooker  to  withdraw  the  lines  to 
Chancellorsville!  Couch,  Hancock,  Sykes,  Warren  and  other 
officers  sent  a  staff  officer  to  represent  to  General  Hooker  the 
favorable  position  and  condition  of  our  troops  and  begged  that 
he  would  reconsider  the  order  to  fall  back.  General  Meade, 
some  of  whose  troops  were  in  sight  of  Banks'  Ford,  but  who 
himself  was  with  Couch,  Hancock,  Sykes  and  other  officers 
where  the  fighting  was,  exclaimed,  when  Hooker's  orders  for 
retreat  came:  "My  God!  if  we  can't  hold  the  top  of  the  hill, 
we  certainly  can't  hold  the  bottom  of  it."  Hooker,  now  seized 
with  hesitation  and  doubts,  the  forerunner  of  disaster,  returned 
positive  orders  to  fall  back.  From  that  moment,  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  was  defeated.  The  position  abandoned  was  ex 
cellent;  the  ground  to  which  our  troops  retreated  was  untenable. 
The  Confederates,  with  wild  cheers,  followed  some  portion  of 
our  forces.  They  did  not  have  enough  men  to  extend  along 
our  whole  front  and  for  some  of  the  distance  had  only  a  skirmish 
line.  There  were  present  under  General  Hooker  on  May  ist, 
when  this  retrograde  movement  was  ordered,  more  than  twice 
as  many  men  as  in  the  Confederate  army  confronting  him.  It 
would  have  been  a  good  thing  for  the  Union  cause  if  Hooker 
could  have  been  "stunned"  before  twelve  o'clock  May  ist, 
rather  than  later  in  the  battle.  From  the  time  that  Hooker 
ordered  the  troops  to  retreat  from  the  open  country  between 
Chancellorsville  and  Fredericksburg,  on  May  ist,  into  the 
tangled  underbrush  of  the  wilderness,  our  forces  were  on  the 
defensive. 

On  the  night  of  May  ist,  General  Jackson,  in  company  with 
General  Lee,  planned  a  flank  attack  upon  the  Union  forces 
around  Chancellorsville.  Early  on  the  morning  of  May  2nd,  he 
started  with  his  Corps  toward  our  extreme  right  flank,  held  by 
General  Howard.  Jackson  took  his  troops  around  consider 
able  distance  in  the  direction  of  Todd's  Tavern,  then  swung 


THE  CHANCELLORSVILLE  CAMPAIGN  49 

around  on  the  Brock  road,  following  it  up  to  the  Wilderness 
Tavern.  From  the  Wilderness  Tavern  his  forces,  keeping  out 
of  sight  as  much  as  possible,  turned  eastward  and  followed  the 
general  direction  of  the  Orange  turnpike,  feeling  their  way  cau 
tiously  toward  Howard's  lines.  In  order  to  deceive  General 
Hooker  and  occupy  his  attention,  the  Confederate  skirmishers 
upon  our  left  were  pushed  forward  against  our  intrenchments. 
General  Hooker  seemed  to  be  possessed  by  the  idea  that  the 
Confederates  were  going  to  run  away.  There  had  not  thus  far 
appeared  any  special  reason  why  General  Lee  should  run  away. 
He  had  not  been  harmed  except  when  he  attacked  the  fortified 
position  of  General  Hooker.  The  illusions  to  which  Hooker  was 
subject  were  rashly  dispelled  before  the  sun  went  down  that 
day.  When  the  Eleventh  Corps,  the  smallest  in  the  army, 
under  Howard,  was  crushed,  and  when  down  the  road  from 
Dowdall's  Tavern  came  the  wreck  of  the  Corps,  rushing  pell- 
mell  to  get  away  from  Jackson's  men,  General  Hooker  must 
have  thought  that  possibly  he  was  deluded  in  his  view  of  the 
situation.  Our  Regiment  was  not  there,  and  it  is  not  the  histor 
ian's  purpose  to  describe  this  attack  of  Jackson  and  after  his 
wounding,  the  fight  of  Jeb.  Stuart,  who  succeeded  in  command. 
It  is  probable  that  no  body  of  troops,  in  such  a  position,  could 
have  withstood  the  attack  led  by  Stonewall  Jackson. 

Let  us  see  what  General  Sedgwick  was  doing  in  the  mean 
time.  Partisans  of  General  Hooker  seek  to  lay  the  blame  of  the 
disaster  at  Chancellorsville,  first,  on  the  stampede  of  Howard's 
Eleventh  Corps  and,  second,  on  the  lack  of  co-operation  on 
the  part  of  Sedgwick.  On  the  28th  of  April,  Sedgwick,  with  the 
Sixth  Corps  moved  down  the  Rappahannock  to  Franklin's  old 
crossing.  The  First  Corps,  under  Reynolds,  took  position  about 
one  mile  farther  down  the  river  and  the  Third  Corps,  under 
Sickles,  was  placed  in  the  rear  and  between  the  other  two  corps. 
During  the  night,  a  part  of  the  Sixth  Corps  crossed  in  boats  and 
laid  a  pontoon  bridge.  On  the  3oth  of  April,  (the  day  the 
Third,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps  reached  Chancellorsville,) 
Sickles'  Third  Corps  was  hastily  detached  from  Sedgwick's 
force  and  hurried  to  the  United  States  Ford  to  join  Hooker.  On 


50  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

Friday,  May  ist,  at  five  p.  m.,  an  order  was  received  by  Sedg- 
wick  from  Hooker,  instructing  the  former  officer  to  make  a 
strong  demonstration  against  the  enemy  and  when  just  begin 
ning  the  advance  the  order  was  countermanded.  Reynold's 
First  Corps  was  detached  and  sent  to  Hooker  on  Saturday,  the 
2nd  of  May.  At  5:25  in  the  morning  of  the  same  day,  Sedg- 
wick  was  ordered  to  take  up  all  the  bridges  at  Franklin's  crossing 
and  below  before  daylight.  Had  this  order  been  obeyed, 
Sedgwick  would  have  retreated  back  across  the  river,  taken  up 
the  bridges  in  plain  sight  of  the  enemy  and  released  the  troops 
in  and  about  Fredericksburg  so  that  they  might  hasten  north 
and  join  the  bulk  of  Lee's  army.  At  half  past  six  in  the  after 
noon  of  May  2nd,  Sedgwick  was  ordered  to  pursue  the  enemy 
by  the  Bowling  Green  road,  which  order  was  obeyed.  At 
eleven  o'clock  p.  m.,  he  received  another  order,  written  fifty 
minutes  earlier  than  its  receipt,  directing  him  to  cross  the 
Rappahannock  at  Fredericksburg  upon  receipt  of  the  order, 
move  in  the  direction  of  Chancellorsville  until  connection  was 
made  with  Hooker,  to  destroy  any  forces  on  the  road  and  to  be 
in  the  vicinity  of  Hooker  by  daylight.  This  was  indeed  a  most 
remarkable  order  and  impossible  of  execution.  Sedgwick  at 
this  time  was  out  on  the  Bowling  Green  road,  forcing  back  the 
Confederates,  as  ordered  by  the  commander  of  the  army.  Gen 
eral  Hooker  had  represented  to  Sedgwick  during  the  two  pre 
ceding  days  that  the  force  of  the  enemy  in  his  front  was  insignifi 
cant.  General  Sedgwick  believed  he  could  obey  the  spirit  of 
Hooker's  order  best  by  marching  up  to  FYedericksburg  without 
recrossing  the  river,  capture  the  enemy's  works  there  and  hurry 
on  to  join  Hooker.  In  endeavoring  to  carry  out  this  purpose,  he 
was  compelled  to  assault  and  carry  the  works  in  front  of  Marye's 
Heights.  These  were  the  same  fortifications  that  Sumner's 
Grand  Division  had  unsuccessfully  assaulted  so  many  times  the 
1 3th  of  the  preceding  December.  He  would  have  been  obliged 
to  carry  these  same  works  had  he  crossed  the  river  twice  and 
attempted  to  literally  carry  out  Hooker's  order.  The  trouble 
was,  Hooker  underestimated  the  force  opposed  to  Sedgwick. 
General  Lee  in  his  official  report  of  the  battle  states  that "  Early's 


THE    CHANCELLORSVILLE    CAMPAIGN  5! 

Division  of  Jackson's  Corps  and  Barksdale's  Brigade  of  Mc- 
Law's  Division,  with  a  part  of  the  Reserve  artillery  under  Gen 
eral  Pendleton,  were  entrusted  with  the  defense"  of  the  Con 
federate  position  at  Fredericksburg.  This  force,  exclusive  of 
the  artillery,  included  twenty-five  regiments.  On  the  night  of 
May  i  st,  General  Lee  stated  that  Wilcox's  Brigade,  consisting 
of  five  regiments,  was  sent  to  Banks'  Ford.  General  Wilcox  in 
his  report  says  that  on  May  3rd,  when  near  Salem  Church 
opposing  the  advance  of  Sedgwick,  he  was  reinforced  by  three 
Brigades  of  McLaw's  Division,  General  Lee  further  repre 
sented  that  he  sent  one  of  Anderson's  Brigades  also  to  reinforce 
Wilcox,  and  General  Lee  himself  superintended  this  movement. 
It  is  impossible  to  state  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  as  to  the 
number  of  men  opposed  to  Sedgwick's  advance  at  any  particu 
lar  time.  We  know  this :  that  the  losses  in  the  Sixth  Corps  dur 
ing  this  engagement  were  nearly  five  thousand  men,  of  whom 
five  hundred  were  killed  outright.  The  capture  of  the  works  at 
Marye's  Heights  was  accomplished  by  Sedgwick  in  a  sharp  en 
gagement,  in  which  the  Sixth  Maine  under  Colonel  Burnham 
bore  a  conspicuous  part.  Gibbon's  Division,  except  Owen's 
Brigade  which  was  at  Banks'  Ford  and  the  Nineteenth  Maine, 
crossed  the  river  at  Falmouth  and  occupied  Fredericksburg. 
Gibbon's  men  were  not  in  position  to  render  any  substantial  aid 
to  Sedgwick.  While  the  greater  portion  of  the  Confederate 
army,  under  General  Lee,  was  fighting  Sedgwick  at  Salem 
Church,  and  pounding  the  life  out  of  his  Corps,  nothing  but  a 
skirmish  line  confronted  the  left  of  Hooker's  line  at  Chancellors- 
ville,  but  Hooker  never  found  it  out.  He  had  decided  upon  a 
defensive  campaign  for  his  own  troops  and  a  vigorous  offensive 
campaign  for  Sedgwick's  lone  Army  Crops,  fighting  its  way 
from  Fredericksburg  to  Chancellorsville.  It  may  be  that  Gen 
eral  Sedgwick  ought  to  have  been  more  expeditious  in  his  move 
ments  on  the  morning  of  May  3rd.  Whatever  may  be  said  as 
to  that,  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  Hooker  was  defeated 
before  Jackson  annihilated  the  right  detached  wing  of  his  army 
at  Chancellorsville. 

The  unfortunate  flanking  and  defeat  of  the  Eleventh  Corps 
was  a  disaster  which  ought  to  have  been  prevented.   The  evi- 


52  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

dence  appears  to  be  almost  conclusive  that  General  Howard, 
commanding  that  Corps,  was  warned  by  General  Hooker  of  the 
impending  danger  and  urged  to  examine  the  ground  and 
strengthen  his  position.  This  was  communicate'd  to  Howard 
in  a  letter,  dated  May  2nd  at  nine-thirty  in  the  morning.  Im 
mediately  after  the  battle,  the  cry  was  raised  that  the  "Dutch 
men"  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  had  caused  our  defeat.  There 
must  be  a  scapegoat,  and  the  shameful  shortcomings  of  the 
officers  in  command  were  piled  upon  that  unfortunate  Corps. 
The  fact  is,  only  about  one-third  of  the  Corps  were  Germans.  It 
it  doubtful, if  any  corps  in  the  army  would  have  done  any  better 
under  such  trying  circumstances.  The  men  had  no  show. 
They  had  their  choice  between  being  run  over  and  captured  and 
running  to  the  rear,  with  some  chance  of  escape. 

General  Hooker's  friends  have  attempted  also  to  unload 
some  of  the  responsibility  for  the  disaster  at  Chancellorsville 
upon  General  Couch,  the  senior  Corps  commander,  who  was 
then  at  the  head  of  the  Second  Corps.  It  appears  that  Hooker 
was  injured  about  half  past  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  May 
3rd.  After  a  recovery  from  his  brief  stupor  he  sent  for  Couch 
and  gave  him  explicit  instruction  to  withdraw  the  troops  to  the 
new  and  contracted  line,  and  then  Hooker  rode  to  the  rear. 
Couch  was  ordered  by  Hooker  to  do  a  specific  thing,  with  spe 
cific  troops,  but  he  had  no  authority  over  Meade  or  Howard  or 
Reynolds.  It  was  too  late  then  to  accomplish  anything. 
There  were  more  than  30,000  soldiers  lying  on  their  arms  in  the 
rear  of  the  battlefield  who  had  not  fired  a  shot.  Hooker  was 
urged  to  resume  the  offensive  on  May  4th  with  these  new  troops, 
but  he  refused  to  fight. 

The  Regiment  left  its  camp  on  the  night  of  May  ist  and 
was  strung  along  between  Falmouth  and  Banks'  and  United 
States  Fords,  guarding  the  telegraph  line.  The  Regiment  was 
relieved  and  assembled  near  the  Lacy  House  on  May  3rd.  The 
other  regiments  of  the  Brigade  crossed  the  river,  entered  Fred- 
ericksburg  and  supported  the  Sixth  Corps.  Not  a  man  in  the 
Brigade  was  killed.  From  the  heights  above  the  Lacy  House 
much  of  Sedgwick's  battle  at  Salem  Church  could  be  plainly 


THE   CHANCELLORSVILLE   CAMPAIGN  53 

seen.  The  Sixth  Corps  was  slowly  forced  back  during  the  after 
noon  of  May  3rd  toward  Banks'  Ford.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  the 
greater  part  of  the  Confederate  army  concentrated  to  crush  that 
Corps  and  we  helpless  to  aid  and  Hooker  on  the  defensive  at 
Chancellorsville  with  three-fourths  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

The  battle  af  Chancellorsville  was  not  a  single  engagement 
but  was  fought  on  four  different  fields — at  Fredericksburg,  at 
Salem  Curch,  on  the  east  of  Chancellorsville  and  Jackson's  flank 
movement  to  the  west  of  Chancellorsville.  The  engagement  on 
the  lines  east  of  Chancellorsville  was  fought  early  on  the  ist 
of  May,  Jackson's  fight  to  the  west  of  Chancellorsville  took 
place  in  the  early  evening  of  May  2nd  and  was  continued  by 
General  Stuart  the  next  morning.  The  intrenchments  at  Fred 
ericksburg  were  captured  by  Sedgwick  May  3rd,  and  the  battle 
at  Salem  Church  was  fought  on  the  afternoon  of  May  3rd  and 
on  the  4th  day  of  May.  Sedgwick  recrossed  the  river  at  Bank's 
Ford  on  the  night  of  May  4th  and  Hooker  with  his  baffled  troops 
recrossed  the  next  night. 

The  writer  takes  great  ratisfaction  in  quoting  the  following 
from  Swinton's  excellent  History:" Amid  much  that  is  dastardly 
at  Chancellorsville,  the  conduct  of  Colonel  Nelson  A  Miles,  the 
young  but  gallant  and  skillful  officer,  shines  forth  with  a  brilliant 
luster."  General  Hancock  was  so  elated  at  seeing  the  splendid 
behavior  of  Miles'  skirmish  line  when  repulsing  the  enemy  that 
he  said  to  one  of  his  staff  officers:  " Ride  down  and  tell  Colonel 
Miles  he  is  worth  his  weight  in  gold."  General  Couch,  com 
manding  the  Second  Corps,  said  to  General  Hancock  and 
French,  his  two  Division  commanders:  "I  tell  you  what  it  is, 
gentlemen,  I  sha'l  not  be  surprised  to  find  myself  some  day  serv 
ing  under  that  young  man."  This  same  Miles  rose  from  the 
rank  of  First  Lieutenant  to  Lieutenant-General  commanding 
the  army.  His  body  scarred  with  wounds  received  in  his 
country's  service,  but  crowned  with  honor  and  the  love  of  his 
countrymen  whom  he  had  served,  he  was  permitted  to  retire  by 
operation  of  law,  August  8th,  1903,  without  the  usual  words  of 
commendation  from  the  then  President  of  the  United  States, 
who  was  a  boy  in  short  dresses  living  in  a  fashionable  section 


54  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

of  New  York  City,  when  Miles  entered  the  service  of  his 
country. 

Major-General  Hiram  G.  Berry,  commander  of  the  Second 
Division,  Third  Corps,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 
He  entered  the  service  from  Rockland,  as  Colonel  of  the 
Fourth  Maine  Regiment.  General  Berry  was  an  exceptionally 
fine  officer  and  his  native  state  may  well  take  pride  in  his 
record. 

On  the  4th  day  of  May,  Governor  Coburn  of  Maine  and  one 
of  our  Congressmen,  John  H.  Rice  of  Foxcroft,  came  to  visit 
the  Regiment.  They  were  introduced  to  many  of  the  officers 
and  men.  Governor  Coburn  was  visiting  the  different  Maine 
regiments  and  so  far  as  possible  looking  after  their  welfare. 
He  witnessed  the  repulse  of  the  Sixth  Corps  at  Salem  Church 
from  the  grounds  about  the  Lacy  House.  Governor  Coburn 
was  not  a  Chesterfield  in  manners  or  speech,  nor  a  Webster  in 
knowledge  of  constitutional  law;  but  he  was  a  hard-headed, 
sensible  business  man,  blunt  in  speech,  knowing  what  he 
wanted  and  usually  getting  it.  He  made  a  good  Governor  of 
Maine. 

One  of  the  results  of  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  was  the 
irreparable  loss  to  the  Confederacy  of  Stonewall  Jackson.  Gen 
eral  Jackson  was  wounded  on  the  night  of  May  2nd  and  died  in 
the  afternoon  of  May  loth.  After  Jackson's  death  and  perhaps 
on  thedayof  the  funeral, the  bells  in  theFredericksburg  churches 
were  tolled  and  the  sad  funeral  dirge  played  by  the  bands  in 
the  various  Confederate  camps,  all  of  which  were  plainly  heard 
on  our  side  of  the  river.  History  will  accord  General  Jackson 
a  position  among  the  Confederate  officers  second  to  none  ex 
cept  General  Lee.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  leader 
most  trusted  by  the  Confederates  and  most  feared  by  us.  After 
Jackson's  death,  John  W.  Forney,  editor  of  one  of  the  Washing 
ton  papers,  wrote  an  editorial  eulogizing  Jackson's  ability  and 
commending  some  traits  of  his  Christian  character.  President 
Lincoln  wrote  Mr.  Forney  a  letter  thanking  him  for  the  fairness 
of  his  editorial  comments. 


THE  GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN  55 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN 

On  the  29th  day  of  May  the  Regiment  was  paid  two 
months'  pay.  It  is  wonderful  how  having  money  in  the  pocket 
improves  the  appearance  of  a  soldier.  He  stands  straighter, 
walks  prouder,  looks  happier,  acts  more  independent  and  enjoys 
better  health. 

Early  in  June  General  William  Harrow  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  our  Brigade.  Harrow  had  been  formerly  Colonel 
of  the  Fourteenth  Indiana.  He  remained  as  commander  of  the 
Brigade  until  the  following  September,  when  he  resigned  his 
commission.  He  was  subsequently  appointed  Brigadier-General 
by  the  President,  and  we  find  him  in  command  of  the  Fourth 
Division,  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  in  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
General  Harrow  was  regarded  as  an  excellent  army  officer,  but 
he  had  acquired  the  unfortunate  habit  of  resigning.  He  had  re 
signed  as  Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Indiana  and  afterwards  he 
was  reappointed  to  the  same  position. 

Major-General  W.  S.  Hancock  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  Second  Corps  on  the  loth  of  June,  1863,  succeeding  Gen 
eral  Couch,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Susquehanna.  Surely  the  Second  Corps 
was  fortunate  in  its  commanders.  Sumner,  Couch,  Hancock, 
Warren  and  Humphreys — these  were  no  ordinary  officers. 

We  broke  camp  on  Sunday  evening,  June  i4th,  and 
marched  out  about  two  miles  and  then  marched  back  to  camp 
again.  We  left  the  old  camp  for  good  at  three  o'clock  Monday 
morning,  June  I5th,  and  started  out  on  our  long  tramp  to 
ward  Gettysburg.  The  first  day  or  two  we  were  in  Stafford 
County.  This  county  appeared  to  be  poverty  stricken.  Poor 
soil  and  shiftless  human  nature  had  obstructed  all  enterprises. 
The  country  was  destitute  of  public  improvements.  Dense 


56  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

woods  and  thickets  of  jack  pine  and  scrub  oak  with  occasional 
clearings,  poor  roads  and  old  tumble  down  houses,  describe  the 
country  of  our  first  day's  march.  We  crossed  Acquia  creek  at  a 
little  hamlet  called  Acquia,  marched  through  Stafford  Court 
House  which  was  a  smoking  ruin,  going  into  camp  about  half  a 
dozen  miles  north  of  that  point.  The  day's  march  was  about 
twenty  miles,  but  owing  to  the  intense  heat  and  clouds  of  dust 
and  heavy  marching  order  of  the  soldiers,  it  was  one  of  the  most 
trying  days  in  the  whole  summer's  campaign.  It  is  pretty  hard 
for  a  soldier  to  throw  away  a  new  overcoat,  a  nice  woolen  blanket 
or  a  change  of  underclothing,  especially  when  nobody  knows 
how  far  he  is  going  or  how  soon  he  may  need  these  articles. 
When  human  endurance  is  exhausted,  the  highly  prized  mer 
chandise  is  reluctantly  dropped  by  the  roadside.  The  next 
day's  march  was  upwards  of  twenty  miles  and  carried  us  across 
Quantico  creek,  near  Purcell's  mill,  through  Dumfries  and 
thence  north  by  the  Telegraph  road,  crossing  Neabasco  creek 
and  going  into  camp  near  Occoquan,  on  the  Occoquan  river. 
Here  we  found  the  first  good  water  since  leaving  the  Rappa- 
hannock.  The  next  day,  the  lyth,  we  had  a  short,  comfortable 
march  of  some  ten  miles  to  Fairfax  Station,  on  the  Orange  and 
Alexandria  Railroad.  We  were  now  some  four  miles  south  of 
Fairfax  Court  House  and  about  five  miles  from  Bull  Run.  The 
Regiment  rested  here  one  full  day  and  on  the  I9th  proceeded 
about  ten  miles  to  Centerville. 

While  the  Regiment  stopped  at  Centerville,  the  boys  had 
a  good  time  in  joining  in  a  raid  on  a  sutler  belonging  to  one  of 
the  Massachusetts  batteries.  General  William  Hayes  ordered 
two  guns  and  a  small  force  of  infantry  into  position  to  disperse 
the  mob.  Before  they  got  ready  to  act,  however,  not  only  the 
"mob"  but  the  contents  of  the  sutler's  tent  had  been  "dis 
persed."  It  was  noticed  in  the  Regiment  that  the  boys'  supply 
of  tobacco  had  been  increased  during  our  stop  at  Centerville. 

We  started  for  Thoroughfare  Gap  at  noon,  June  2oth,  and 
arrived  at  our  destination  a  little  after  midnight.  The  march 
took  us  across  the  old  Bull  Run  battlefield,  where  many  evi 
dences  of  the  battles  of  former  years  were  visible.  Parts  of 
human  skeletons  were  seen  protruding  from  the  ground  and 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  57 

splintered  trees  were  upon  every  side.  The  last  part  of  the 
march  was  very  trying  and  in  the  darkness  the  boys  of  the 
Regiment  stumbled  over  stones  and  into  ditches.  They  knew 
from  talk  in  the  Regiment  that  we  were  bound  for  Thoroughfare 
Gap,  but  no  one  seemed  to  know  how  far  away  that  place  was. 
While  the  Regiment  was  plodding  along,  slowly  picking  its 
way  in  the  dark,  one  of  the  boys  fell  into  a  deep  ditch  and  when 
inquired  of  as  to  what  he  was  doing  down  there  he  answered 
back,  " Boys,  here's  the  gap.  I've  stopped  it  up!"  The  next 
day  we  could  hear  the  guns  through  the  gap  from  the  cavalry 
fight  at  Upperville. 

General  Hooker,  like  all  his  predecessors,  in  the  race  north 
after  General  Lee,  was  required  to  keep  his  army  between  the 
enemy  and  the  city  of  Washington.  Sometimes  writers  have 
attempted  to  ridicule  the  anxiety  of  President  Lincoln  and  Sec 
retary  Stanton  for  the  safety  of  the  Capital.  It  was  felt  by  the 
administration  that  the  city  of  Washington  must  be  protected 
at  all  hazards.  The  capture  of  the  Capital,  in  the  then  condi 
tion  of  foreign  affairs,  might  have  proved  fatal  to  the  Union 
cause.  The  fear  of  foreign  intervention,  which  purposely  was 
not  much  talked  about,  hung  on  the  horizon  like  a  dark,  threat 
ening  cloud.  Had  Washington  been  captured  by  the  Confeder 
ates,  that  fact  would  very  likely  have  furnished  the  excuse  for 
foreign  intervention.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  National  Govern 
ment  could  have  recovered  from  the  loss  of  Washington ;  hence 
the  great  and  justifiable  anxiety  of  the  administration  for  its 
security  and  protection. 

The  Regiment  had  four  days  of  rest  while  in  the  vicinity 
of  Thoroughfare.  During  this  time  the  boys  of  the  Regiment 
gathered  and  cooked  green  apples  which  afforded  a  change  in 
the  monotony  of  their  diet.  The  apples  of  course  were  very 
small,  but  when  cooked,  they  were  very  palatable.  Other 
changes  in  diet  also  were  noticeable,  to  which  changes  the 
farmers  in  that  locality  unwillingly  contributed. 

General  Alexander  S.  Webb  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  Philadelphia  Brigade  of  our  Division  at  Thoroughfare 
Gap.  He  had  been  an  officer  of  ability  in  the  regular  service, 
and  his  force  of  character  and  personal  gallantry  at  Gettysburg, 


58  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Bristoe  Station,  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania  contributed  in  no 
small  measure  to  the  renown  of  the  Second  Corps. 

The  Corps  left  Thoroughfare  Gap  on  the  25th,  our  Division 
taking  the  rear  in  the  line  of  march.  The  Regimejit  proceeded 
as  far  as  Haymarket,  an  insignificant  hamlet  where  the  road 
turned  north  in  the  direction  of  Gum  Springs.  As  the  Regiment 
was  proceeding  quietly  on  its  way,  and  when  at  Haymarket, 
from  a  lofty  eminence  to  the  right  and  rear  came  bursting 
shells  into  the  midst  of  our  Brigade  and  we  lost  one  man  in  our 
Regiment,  Israel  D.  Jones,  of  Company  G,  the  first  soldier  in  the 
Regiment  killed  by  the  enemy.  In  less  than  ten  minutes  from 
the  time  that  Mr.  Jones  was  chatting  cheerfully  with  the  man 
marching  at  his  side,  he  was  buried  by  the  roadside  and  left 
to  sleep  his  last  sleep.  A  private  soldier  in  the  Fifteenth  Massa 
chusetts  and  several  others  in  the  Division  were  wounded.  The 
attack  was  so  unexpected  that  it  created  some  confusion  in  our 
Division.  Let  the  Confederate  General  Stuart  give  his  account 
of  this  affair. 

"  Moving  to  the  right  with  my  brigades,  we  passed  through 
Glasscock's  Gap  without  serious  difficulty  and  marched  to  Haymarket. 
I  had  previously  sent  Major  Mosby  with  some  picked  men  to  gain  the 
vicinity  of  Dranesville,  find  where  a  crossing  was  practicable  and  bring 
intelligence  to  me  near  Gum  Springs  on  June  25th.  As  we  neared 
Haymarket  we  found  that  Hancock's  Corps  was  enroute  through 
Haymarket  for  Gum  Springs,  his  infantry  well  distributed  through  his 
trains.  I  chose  a  good  position  and  opened  with  the  artillery  on  his 
passing  column  with  effect,  scattering  men,  wagons  and  horses  in  wild 
confusion;  disabled  one  of  the  enemy's  caissons,  which  he  abandoned, 
and  compelled  him  to  advance  in  order  of  battle  to  compel  us  to  desist. 
As  Hancock  had  the  right  of  way  on  my  road,  I  sent  Fitz  Lee's  Brigade 
to  Gainesville  to  reconnoitre  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  the  day  to 
grazing  our  horses."! 

This  was  the  beginning  of  Stuart's  famous  raid  in  the  rear 
of  our  army  prior  to  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

We  went  into  camp  that  night  at  Gum  Springs  in  the  midst 
of  a  terrific  shower,  having  made  a  march  of  twenty-five  miles 
that  day, — the  longest  march  we  had  ever  made.  While  at  Gum 
Springs,  a  brigade  consisting  of  four  New  York  regiments, 
under  the  command  of  the  gallant  General  Alexander  Hays, 
joined  our  Corps.  General  Hays  immediately  took  command 
of  the  Third  Division.  General  Gibbon  had  commanded  our 


IWar  Records,  Vol.  XXVII,  Part  II,  page  692. 


THE   GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  59 

Division  since  the  assignment  of  General  Howard,  in  April, 
to  the  command  of  the  Eleventh  Corps. 

The  next  morning,  June  26th,  gave  promise  of  a  beautiful 
summer  day,  and  the  Corps  started  for  Edward's  Ferry  on  the 
Potomac,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  After  arriving  at  the 
Potomac,  the  Regiment  waited  until  nearly  midnight,  when  it 
crossed  the  river  on  a  pontoon  bridge  and  encamped  for  the 
night.  Twenty-four  hours  later  the  Confederate  General  Stuart 
with  his  cavalry  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Seneca,  between 
Edward's  Ferry  and  Washington.  The  Regiment  on  the  next 
day  marched  through  Poolesville  and  Barnesville,  to  the  south 
easterly  slope  of  the  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  where  it  went  into 
camp  for  the  night.  The  next  day's  march  of  eighteen  miles 
took  the  Regiment  through  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country,  to 
Monocacy  Junction. 

In  their  march  from  Virginia  to  Pennsylvania  the  Confed 
erate  cavalry  did  not  keep  upon  the  flanks  of  their  army,  as  is 
usual,  but  started  on  a  wild  goose  chase  and  went  northeast 
of  the  Union  Army  and  as  a  consequence,  General  Lee  was  not 
advised  as  to  the  movements  of  our  troops  as  he  would  have  been 
had  his  cavalry  been  at  hand.  Their  cavalry,  however,  was 
able  to  create  consternation  in  the  Northern  cities  by  their  ap 
pearing  upon  the  banks  of  the  Susquehanna  in  sight  of  Harris- 
burg  and  levying  tribute  upon  the  villages  in  southern  Penn 
sylvania. 

While  the  Union  army  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Frederick  City, 
General  Hooker  applied  to  General  Halleck,  General-in-Chief, 
for  the  10,000  men,  doing  garrison  duty  at  Harper's  Ferry  under 
General  French.  Halleck  positively  refused  Hooker's  request. 
Hooker  desired  the  troops  to  unite  with  Slocum's  Corps  in  order 
that  they  might  attack  Lee's  communications,  following  up  in 
his  rear.  General  Hooker  went  to  Harper's  Ferry  on  June  2jth 
and  while  there  he  received  a  dispatch  from  General  Halleck 
saying,  "  Maryland  Heights  have  always  been  regarded  as  an 
important  point  to  be  held  by  us  and  much  expense  and  labor 
incurred  in  fortifying  them.  I  cannot  approve  their  abandon 
ment  except  in  case  of  absolute  necessity."  To  which  General 
Hooker  replied,  "  I  have  received  your  telegram  in  regard  to 


60  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Harper's  Ferry.  I  find  10,000  men  here  in  condition  to  take 
the  field.  Here  they  are  of  no  earthly  account.  They  cannot 
defend  a  ford  of  the  river  and  as  far  as  Harper's  Ferry  is  con 
cerned  there  is  nothing  of  it.  As  for  the  fortifications,  the  work 
of  troops,  they  remain  when  the  troops  are  withdrawn.  No 
enemy  will  ever  take  possession  of  them  for  them.  This  is  my 
opinion.  All  of  the  public  property  could  have  been  secured  to 
night  and  the  troops  marched  to  where  they  could  have  been 
of  some  service.  Now  they  are  but  bait  for  the  Rebels  should 
they  return.  I  beg  that  this  may  be  presented  to  the  Secretary 
of  War  and  His  Excellency,  the  President."  General  Hooker's 
request,  which  then  seemed  and  now  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years,  appears  to  have  been  reasonable,  was  curtly  refused  by 
General  Halleck.  General  Hooker  promptly  offered  his  resigna 
tion,  which  was  as  promptly  accepted.  Major-General  George  G. 
Meade,  then  commander  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  a  general  of 
fine  intellect,  personal  bravery  and  popular  in  his  own  Corps, 
but  had  never  achieved  any  brilliant  success  or  met  with  any  se 
rious  reverse.  While  dangerous  to  change  the  commander  of  an 
army  on  the  eve  of  battle,  the  new  commander  was  one  who  had 
served  in  that  army  from  the  beginning  of  the  war.  General 
Couch,  in  a  diary  kept  by  him,  stated  that  he  had  a  long  private 
conversation  with  President  Lincoln  after  the  battle  of  Chan- 
cellorsville  and  advised  the  President  to  make  a  change  in  com 
manders  of  the  army,  remarking  that  "Meade  is  the  man  for  the 
place."  In  the  General  Order  relinquishing  command  of  the 
army,  General  Hooker  commended  General  Meade  to  the  sol 
diers  as  a  "brave  and  accomplished  officer  who  has  nobly 
earned  the  confidence  and  esteem  in  this  army  on  many  a  well- 
fought  field."  His  order  was  closed  with  an  earnest  prayer  for  the 
success  of  the  Union  arms.  General  Hooker  was  ordered  to  re 
port  in  Baltimore  and  when  he  appeared  a  few  days  later  in 
Washington  to  explain  his  action  he  was  immediately  put  under 
arrest  for  visiting  the  Capital  without  Halleck's  permission. 
This  was  a  piece  of  petty  and  contemptible  persecution,  which 
might  well  have  been  omitted  under  the  circumstances.  It  was, 
however,  a  short  and  easy  method  of  replying  to  questions  that 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  6 1 

would  have  otherwise  been  inconvenient  to  answer.  General 
Halleck  immediately  placed  the  garrison  at  Harper's  Ferry 
under  Meade's  control,  as  he  ought  to  have  done  in  the  case 
of  Hooker  and  the  troops  were  withdrawn — something  Hooker 
begged  for  but  which  was  denied.  General  Hooker  was  right. 
The  refusal  of  Halleck  (who  never  liked  Hooker)  to  permit  the 
withdrawal  of  French  from  Harper's  Ferry  has  no  defenders 
at  this  time. 

It  was  the  intention  of  General  Meade  to  have  the  Second 
Corps  set  out  early  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  and  proceed  to 
Uniontown.  By  a  strange  oversight  or  blunder  of  the  orderly 
delivering  the  order  it  was  not  brought  to  the  attention  of 
General  Hancock  until  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  So  the  Corps  set  out  on  the  longest  day's  march 
in  its  history,  on  the  hot,  sultry  morning  of  the  29th  of  June, 
between  eight  and  nine  o'clock.  Our  Division  took  the  advance 
of  the  Corps  in  the  line  of  march.  Sometime  in  the  forenoon, 
after  being  three  or  four  hours  on  the  road,  the  Division  came  to 
a  considerable  creek,  which  could  be  crossed  by  fording  knee- 
deep.  There  was,  however,  a  timber  thrown  across  the  creek 
at  the  side  of  the  road,  hewn  on  top,  which  made  a  very  re 
spectable  crossing  for  pedestrians.  If  the  men  crossed  singly 
on  this  timber  it  would  impede  the  march  of  the  men,  and  strict 
orders  were  given  that  the  men  should  ford  the  creek.  Those 
in  the  rear  saw  the  bunching  of  the  men  in  the  road  ahead  and 
then  knew,  without  being  told,  what  was  coming.  Many  of  the 
men  dropped  by  the  side  of  the  road  and  removed  their  shoes 
and  stockings  and  rolled  up  their  trousers.  Others  kept  in 
line,  while  still  others  scurried  to  the  side  and  ran  over  the  log 
crossing.  No  one  need  be  told  that  the  reason  for  the  reluctance 
of  the  men  fording  this  creek  was  that  marching  with  one's 
shoes  filled  with  water,  over  a  dusty  road,  in  the  middle  of  a  hot 
June  day  not  only  would  cause  much  inconvenience  in  marching 
but  it  would  also  result  in  blistered  feet  and  disabled  men.  One 
of  the  Division  staff-officers  rode  back  and  forth  near  the  cross 
ing  place  and  urged  the  officers  to  compel  their  men  to  ford  the 
creek.  Colonel  Colvill,  of  the  First  Minnesota,  gave  the  order 
for  the  men  to  wade  through  the  water.  His  men,  however, 


62  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

interpreted  the  manner  of  giving  the  order  to  mean  for  them  to 
do  as  they  pleased,  which  they  proceeded  to  do.  When  the 
Division  had  passed  this  point  and  the  staff-officer  was  returning 
to  the  head  of  the  Division,  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  Fifteenth 
Massachusetts  and  First  Minnesota  joined  in  groaning  at  and 
hooting  the  staff-officer.  He  evidently  thought  that  the  First 
Minnesota  was  the  chief  sinner,  and  placed  Colonel  Colvill  under 
arrest.  When  the  First  Minnesota  was  going  into  the  action  at 
Gettysburg  Colonel  Colvill  asked  to  be  released  from  arrest, 
and  he  went  into  the  action  with  his  gallant  regiment  on  the 
2nd  of  July,  where  he  was  dangerously  wounded. 

This  day's  march  was  through  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  fertile  regions  of  the  whole  country.  It  was  through  a  long, 
beautiful  valley,  shut  in  on  both  sides  by  hills  and  settled  by 
prosperous  farmers.  It  seemed  like  paradise  to  the  soldiers 
who  had  for  so  long  a  time  tramped  over  the  desolate  and  barren 
soil  of  Virginia.  Cherry  trees,  loaded  with  rich  cherries,  were 
upon  the  roadsides,  and  the  hospitable  people  brought  bread 
and  milk  to  the  tired  and  hungry  soldiers.  There  was  no  time 
for  eating  or  drinking.  The  column  pressed  forward.  The  sol 
diers  knew  that  some  emergency  had  arisen  which  required  this 
prolonged  and  painful  march.  When  the  column  reached  the 
beautiful  town  of  Liberty,  regiment  after  regiment  filed  into 
the  fields  and  groves  just  north  of  the  town  and  it  was  supposed 
that  we  were  going  into  bivouac  for  the  night.  Hardly  had  the 
men  thrown  themselves  upon  the  ground  when  the  order  to  fall 
in  came,  and  the  men  of  the  Nineteenth  stretched  their  aching 
limbs,  endeavoring  to  again  take  the  swinging  gait  which  they 
had  kept  up  since  morning.  Late  in  the  afternoon  it  was  a  little 
cooler.  Occasionally  stars  appeared  in  the  heavens,  but  still 
the  tramp  kept  up.  Just  before  nine  o'clock  on  that  night  we 
reached  Uniontown  and  filed  into  a  beautiful  grove  to  rest 
for  the  night,  having  made  a  march  of  thirty-two  miles  on  that 
day,  General  Hancock  issued  an  order  which  was  read  to  the 
Corps  the  next  morning  thanking  the  men  for  their  endurance 
in  making  their  great  march. 

All  of  General  Lee's  infantry  had  marched  up  the  Cumber 
land  valley  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  having  crossed  the  Potomac 


THE    GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN  63 

at  Williamsport,  above  Harper's  Ferry.  General  Hooker  had 
previous  to  his  asking  to  be  relieved  detached  Slocum  for  the 
purpose  of  assailing  Lee's  communications.  As  to  Hooker's 
policy,  I  quote  the  following  paragraph  from  General  Double- 
day's  history  of  Gettysburg: 

"  The  wisdom  of  Hooker's  policy  in  desiring  to  assail  the  Rebel 
communications  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  Lee  immediately- 
turned  back.  The  head  of  the  serpent  faced  about  as  soon  as  its  tail 
was  trodden  upon.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  to  prevent  an  attack 
against  his  rear  by  threatening  Baltimore  with  his  whole  force.  This 
would  necessarily  cause  the  Union  army  to  march  further  east  to  con 
front  him  and  thus  prevent  it  from  operating  in  heavy  force  in  the 
Cumberland  valley.  Accordingly,  on  the  night  of  the  28th,  Lee  sent 
express  to  all  of  his  corps  commanders  to  concentrate  at  Gettysburg. 
If  he  had  known  that  Meade  was  about  to  withdraw  all  the  troops  act 
ing  against  his  line  of  retreat,  he  would  probably  have  gone  on  and 
taken  Harrisburg."'! 

Lieutenant  Palmer  writes  with  respect  to  wading  the 
stream  north  of  Frederick  City  as  follows: 

"On  reaching  the  northern  bank  of  the  stream  the  soldiers  intui 
tively  caught  the  new  high  step.  The  sole  of  the  foot  was  raised  to  the 
rear,  and  the  higher  the  step  the  better  the  drainage  and  the  smaller 
the  number  of  parboiled  feet  at  supper  time.  There  was  no  opportun 
ity  to  stop  there  near  the  bank  to  remove  the  footwear  or  to  use  nature's 
wringers,  for  an  army  was  upon  our  backs.  We  left  some  more  of  the 
stream  when  deployed  in  the  field  and  made  up  our  time  by  the  strenu 
ous  push  that  followed.  With  all  the  disadvantage  of  wet  clothing 
and  soaked  feet,  the  Regiment  made  the  longest  march  that  day  that 
it  ever  made." 

Captain  E.  A.  Burpee,  in  a  letter  written  to  Lieutenant 
Palmer,  relates  an  incident  which  occurred  at  the  close  of  this 
day's  march,  which  is  worth  preserving. 

"When  night  came  we  had  marched  thirty- two  miles,  and  a  portion 
of  the  Regiment  was  ordered  out  on  picket.  You  remember  Captain 
Smith,  yourself  and  myself  lay  in  a  little  shelter  tent  together.  Cap 
tain  Smith  said,  'I  think  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  terrible  battle  and  I  feel 
that  I  shall  be  killed  or  wounded.'  I  said,  'Don't  think  that  way.  We 
all  feel  as  if  we  might  get  hit.'  He  replied,  '  No;  but  I  have  a  present 
ment  that  something  is  going  to  happen  to  me  and  I  hope  I  shall  be 
prepared  to  die.'  ' 

Three  days  later  Captain  Smith  fell  on  the  battlefield  of 
Gettysburg. 

During  the  3Oth  the  Regiment  remained  in  camp  and  was 
mustered  for  pay.  Early  on  the  morning  of  July  ist  the  Second 
Corps  started  for  Gettysburg  and  after  stopping  a  short  time 

1  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg,     p.  116. 


64  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

at  Taneytown  made  a  forced  march  the  balance  of  the  distance. 
While  halting  at  Taneytown,  General  Meade  learned  of  the  dis 
aster  which  had  befallen  the  First  Corps  and  he  sent  General 
Hancock  forward  to  represent  him  on  the  field  and  to  assume 
command  of  all  the  forces  there.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we 
started  out  and  made  good  time  until  we  arrived  at  our  des 
tination.  Just  after  dark  the  Corps  was  halted  by  order  of 
General  Gibbon  and  was  directed  to  get  into  position  where  the 
head  of  the  column  then  was.  Our  Second  Division  took  posi 
tion  on  the  left  of  the  Taneytown  road,  our  left  being  near  the 
southeastern  base  of  "  Round  Top,"  and  the  right  near  the  road. 
The  Third  Division  was  posted  upon  the  right  of  the  road  abreast 
of  the  Second,  and  the  First  Division  in  the  rear  of  the  other 
two.  Arms  were  stacked  and  the  men  dropped  down  on  the 
ground  to  sleep,  and  to  many  of  them  it  was  their  last  sleep  on 
earth.  At  midnight  General  Meade  and'  his  staff  rode  by 
General  Gibbon's  headquarters  on  their  way  to  the  battlefield 
and  General  Meade  stopped  and  conversed  with  General  Gibbon 
for  some  little  time.  Gibbon  commanded  the  Corps  on  the 
afternoon  of  July  ist.  Some  twenty  or  twenty-five  men,  the 
pitiful  remnant  of  the  Sixteenth  Maine,  lay  down  to  rest  with  us 
that  night.  Their  Regiment  had  been  nearly  annihilated  in  the 
day's  battle.  A  large  portion  of  their  Regiment  had  been  cap 
tured.  Their  account  of  the  day's  experience  was  not  reassur 
ing. 

The  battle  of  Gettysburg  has  been  described  more  fully 
and  minutely  than  any  other  battle  of  the  war.  Gettysburg 
is  the  county  seat  of  Adams  County  and  at  the  time  of  the  battle 
had  a  population  of  about  three  thousand.  The  town  is  in  the 
center  of  the  battlefield.  Ten  roads  diverged  from  the  town 
almost  as  regularly  as  spokes  of  a  wagon-wheel  from  the  hub. 
These  roads  lead  to  Hagerstown,  Chambersburg,  Mummasburg, 
Carlisle,  Harrisburg,  York,  Hanover,  Baltimore,  Taneytown 
and  Emmitsburg,  and  are  named  for  the  places  to  which  they 
severally  lead.  Because  of  these  unusual  facilities  for  the  con 
centration  of  an  army  and  the  "  lay  of  the  land  "  in  the  vicinity, 
it  would  almost  seem  that  Gettysburg  had  been  designed  for  a 
battlefield. 


THE   GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  65 

Every  loyal  state  east  of  the  Mississippi  except  Kentucky, 
together  with  Minnesota  west  of  that  river,  and  every  one  of 
Confederate  states  were  represented  by  troops  on  the  battlefield 
of  Gettysburg. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  present  for  duty  and  on  the 
battlefield,  83,900  men.  This,  however,  included  the  Sixth  Corps 
of  14,500  men,  only  a  small  portion  of  which  was  actively  en 
gaged.  The  Confederate  army  had  upon  the  field  and  engaged 
about  70,000  infantry  and  artillery.  In  addition  to  these  fig 
ures,  each  side  had  about  10,000  cavalry.  This  would  make  the 
number  actually  engaged  approximately  equal. 

General  Buford,  with  two  cavalry  divisions,  went  into 
camp,  the  night  of  June  3oth,  on  the  Chambersburg  pike  west 
of  the  town.  He  had  discovered  the  enemy's  camp-fires  and 
had  predicted  that  the  next  day  the  Confederates  "three  lines 
deep"  would  charge  his  forces.  He  was  right  in  his  prediction. 
His  men  on  July  ist  most  gallantly  held  their  ground  until  the 
First  Corps,  under  General  Reynolds,  came  to  their  relief. 
Afterwards  two  divisions  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  came  upon  the 
field  and  went  into  position  on  the  right  of  the  First  Corps, 
but  not  until  General  Reynolds  had  been  killed  on  the  soil  of 
his  native  state  and  almost  within  sight  of  his  boyhood  home. 
He  was  one  of  the  soldier  Generals  of  the  army  for  whom  his 
men  had  a  fond  attachment.  The  Divisions  of  Heth  and 
Fender,  of  Hill's  Corps,  had  come  in  during  the  night  from  the 
west,  on  the  Chambersburg  pike,  and  between  one  and  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Rodes'  Division  of  five  Brigades  of  in 
fantry  belonging  to  Swell's  Corps,  made  its  appearance  on  the 
north  of  the  town,  coming  in  by  the  Carlisle  road.  Later  in  the 
day  these  two  detachments  of  the  Confederate  army  were  rein 
forced  by  other  troops.  The  First  and  Eleventh  Corps  were 
driven  from  the  field  late  in  the  afternoon  by  the  overwhelming 
numbers  opposed  to  them,  the  Eleventh  Corps  first  retreat 
ing  pell-mell  through  the  town. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  General  Hancock  appeared  upon 
the  scene.  The  panorama  that  opened  out  to  his  view  as  he 
galloped  up  on  Cemetery  Ridge,  his  horse  covered  with  foam, 
was  what  might  well  have  appalled  a  more  timid  man.  Hancock 


66          THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance  and  formulated  his  plans. 
There  was  only  one  Brigade  of  infantry  of  the  two  Corps  present, 
which  was  intact  and  had  not  been  engaged.  That  was  the 
brigade  of  Colonel  Orland  Smith,  commanding*  the  Second 
Brigade,  Second  Division,  of  the  Eleventh  Corps,  which  stood  in 
line  on  Cemetery  Hill,  facing  the  town.  Smith  was  a  native  of 
Maine  and  was  Colonel  of  the  Seventy-third  Ohio.  He  had  in 
his  brigade  two  regiments  from  Ohio,  two  from  New  York  and 
one  from  Massachusetts.  This  brigade  General  Hancock  used 
as  a  neucleus  about  which  to  rally  the  retreating  forces,  and 
extended  that  Brigade  line  both  to  the  right  and  left.  Down 
the  Baltimore  pike  poured  the  panic-stricken  men  of  the  Elev 
enth  Corps.  On  the  left  of  Smith's  Brigade  was  formed  the 
shattered  remnant  of  the  First  Corps,  under  General  Double- 
day.  Out  of  these  beaten  and  disorganized  troops  a  new  line 
of  battle  was  constructed,  taking  advantage  of  the  contour  of 
the  ground.  Ammunition  was  brought  up  and  men  fleeing  from 
the  battlefield  slowly  returned  and  rejoined  their  organizations. 
The  inspiring  presence  of  General  Hancock  soon  restored  confi 
dence.  Buford's  cavalry  was  drawn  up  on  the  plain  between 
Cemetery  and  Seminary  Ridges  with  the  same  regularity  and 
standing  as  steadily  as  if  on  parade.  Within  an  hour  and  a  half 
after  Hancock  had  arrived  upon  the  field  and  assumed  com 
mand  he  had  dispatched  a  staff  officer  to  General  Meade,  ad 
vising  him  that  he  had  selected  a  suitable  position  for  defense 
and  advised  concentrating  there. 

In  contrast  to  the  brave,  chivalrous  spirit  of  Hancock,  one 
is  confronted  with  the  following  words  of  the  commander  of 
the  Eleventh  Corps,  written  on  the  evening  of  July  ist  to 
General  Meade. 

"General  Hancock's  order  in  writing  to  assume  command  reached 
here  about  seven.  *  *  *  The  above  has  mortified  me  and  will 

disgrace  me.     Please  inform  me  frankly  if  you  disapprove  of  my  con 
duct  today,  that  I  may  know  what  to  do. 

I  am,  General,  very  respectfully, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

O.  O.  HOWARD,  Major-General  Commanding." 

Through  manipulation,  congress,  in  1864,  by  joint  resolu 
tion,  thanked  Generals  Hooker,  Meade  and  Howard  "  for  the 
skill  and  heroic  valor  displayed  at  Gettysburg."  It  took  two 


3ATTLE  O  F 

GETTYS  BURG 


July  lst.1863. 
FIRST     D  AV 


THE   GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  6j 

or  three  years  to  shame  congress  into  acknowledging  the  great 
service  of  that  brave  soldier,  General  Hancock,  by  a  resolution 
of  thanks. 

General  Warren,  afterwards  the  illustrious  commander  of 
the  Fifth  Army  Corps,  was  at  this  time  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  he  was  present  on  the  afternoon  of 
July  ist  and  rendered  great  assistance  to  General  Hancock. 

The  first  day's  battle  at  Gettysburg  was  a  Confederate 
victory.  It  was  won  because  the  Confederates  had  the  most 
men  there.  Generally  victories  are  won  in  that  way.  It  was 
not  a  fruitful  victory,  however.  Upon  the  retreat  of  the 
Eleventh  Corps  through  Gettysburg  and  the  First  to  Cemetery 
Hill,  there  was  considerable  confusion  around  our  extreme 
right.  The  pursuit  of  the  Confederates  through  the  town  was 
somewhat  slow.  General  Lee  instructed  Ewell  to  carry  Cem 
etery  Hill  if  he  found  it  practicable,  but  to  avoid  a  general  en 
gagement  until  the  arrival  of  the  other  divisions  of  his  army. 
This  was  the  golden  opportunity  for  the  Confederates.  They 
halted  when  Cemetery  Hill  was  almost  within  their  grasp. 
They  could  not  then  have  fully  realized  its  importance.  Had 
they  captured  it,  the  great  battle  would  not  have  been  fought 
where  it  was.  General  Hancock  wrote,  in  1878,  that  in  his 
opinion  "if  the  Confederates  had  continued  the  pursuit  of  Gen 
eral  Howard  on  the  afternoon  of  the  ist  of  July,  they  would 
have  driven  him  over  and  beyond  Cemetery  Hill."  Hancock 
adds  that  after  he  arrived  upon  the  field  and  assumed  command 
and  made  his  dispositions  for  defending  that  point,  he  did  "not 
think  the  Confederate  forces  then  present  could  have  carried  it." 

Our  losses  the  first  day  were  very  heavy  in  killed  and  wound 
ed  and  prisoners.  The  Confederate  losses  in  killed  and  wounded 
were  also  large.  The  First  Corps  fought  for  six  hours  against 
more  than  twice  its  numbers  and  then  did  not  withdraw  until 
compelled  to  do  so  by  the  retreat  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  on  its 
right  flank.  It  was  here  that  the  Sixteenth  Maine  under  Colonel 
Tilden,  belonging  to  Paul's  Brigade  and  Robinson's  Division 
of  the  First  Corps,  met  its  great  loss.  This  regiment  was  ordered 
by  General  Robinson  to  take  possession  of  the  hill  which  com 
manded  a  road,  and  hold  the  same  as  long  as  there  was  a  man 


68  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

left.  This  sacrifice  of  the  Regiment  was  regarded  as  necessary 
by  General  Robinson  in  order  to  save  as  much  of  his  Division 
as  possible.  In  the  history  of  Gettysburg  by  John  M.  Vander- 
slice,  it  is  stated  that  the  Sixteenth  Maine  had  two -hundred  and 
ninety-eight  men  in  this  engagement,  and  its  loss  on  the  ist 
of  July  was  two  hundred  thirty-two,  of  which  one  hundred 
sixty-four  were  reported  missing  and  sixty-eight  as  killed  or 
wounded.  Maine  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  service  of  this 
Regiment  at  Gettysburg. 

Captain  James  A.  Hall,  with  the  Second  Battery,  Maine 
Light  Artillery,  and  Captain  G.  T.  Stevens,  with  the  Fifth 
Battery,  belonging  to  the  First  Corps,  suffered  heavy  losses 
here  on  the  ist  of  July.  p| 

General  Doubleday  was  in  command  of  the  First  Corps 
on  the  ist  of  July, as  General  Reynolds  was  in  command  of  the 
left  wing.  Doubleday  manoeuvred  his  Corps  with  great  ability 
and  the  men  fought  with  splendid  gallantry  that  day.  Yet 
General  Meade  relieved  him  at  the  close  of  the  day  and  ap 
pointed  General  Newton  from  the  Sixth  Corps  to  succeed  him. 
Newton  was  Doubleday's  junior  in  rank.  General  Doubleday 
was  ordered  to  report  to  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  army  at 
Washington  on  July  5th,  and  he  had  command  of  a  portion  of 
the  defenses  of  Washington  for  a  few  days.  After  that  he  was 
assigned  to  court-martial  duty  and  insignificant  commands. 

Thursday  morning,  July  2nd,  the  position  of  the  Union 
troops,  which  remained  nearly  the  same  through  July  3rd, 
was  as  follows:  The  Twelfth  Corps,  under  General  Slocum, 
held  the  extreme  right  of  the  line,  which  included  Gulp's  Hill. 
Wadsworth's  Division  of  the  First  Corps  held  the  line  between 
Gulp's  Hill  and  Cemetery  Hill.  Then  came  the  three  Divisions 
of  Howard's  Eleventh  Corps.  Robinson's  Division  of  the  First 
Corps  came  next  and  extended  across  the  Taneytown  road  as 
far  as  Zeigler's  Grove,  while  Doubleday's  Division  of  the  First 
Corps  was  in  the  rear,  in  reserve.  Passing  to  the  left,  next  came 
Hancock's  Second  Corps,  the  Divisions  of  Hays,  Gibbon  and 
Caldwell.  Sickles'  Third  Corps  joined  Hancock  on  the  left. 
The  Fifth  Corps,  under  Sykes,  which  had  marched  all  night  from 
Hanover,  came  up  in  the  early  morning  and  occupied  the  ground 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  69 

on  and  about  Round  Top,  on  the  left  of  the  Third  Corps  and 
the  extreme  left  of  the  infantry  line.  Sedgwick's  Sixth  Corps 
arrived  late  in  the  afternoon  of  July  2nd,  after  a  long,  forced 
march,  and  was  posted  as  a  reserve.  Buford's  cavalry  was  on 
the  left. 

The  Union  line  from  Cemetery  Hill  to  Round  Top  faced 
nearly  west,  while  from  Cemetery  Hill  to  the  extreme  right  it 
faced  east.  The  Union  line  of  battle  was  about  four  miles  long, 
being  nearly  semi-circular  in  shape.  The  two  flanks  of  the  army 
were  only  about  a  mile  and  a  half  apart.  The  Confederate  line 
of  battle  was  nearly  the  same  shape,  but  being  the  outer  line, 
was  some  five  and  a  half  miles  long.  On  the  Confederate  right 
was  Longstreet's  Corps  in  front  of  Round  Top.  On  Longstreet's 
left,  extending  along  Seminary  Ridge,  was  Hill's  Corps,  while 
Rodes'  Division  of  Ewell's  Corps  occupied  the  town  of  Gettys 
burg.  Early's  and  Johnson's  Divisions  of  Ewell's  Corps  held 
the  Confederate  left.  The  Division  of  Heth,  belonging  in  this 
Corps,  was  in  reserve,  while  Pickett's  Division  of  Longstreet's 
Corps  had  not  yet  arrived. 

Our  Brigade  marched  upon  the  battlefield  on  the  morning 
of  July  2nd  at  about  seven  o'clock.  Webb's  Philadelphia  Bri 
gade  occupied  the  right  of  the  division  line.  Hall's  Brigade 
extended  the  line  to  the  left.  These  two  brigades  covered  about 
500  yards  in  line  of  battle.  About  275  or  300  yards  in  their 
front  was  a  large  brick  house,  known  as  the  Codori  House.  Our 
Brigade  was  stationed  at  first  in  reserve,  some  seventy-five 
yard  in  the  rear  of  the  center  of  the  other  two  brigades,  in  close 
column,  by  regiments.  Here  we  remained  under  the  cannonad 
ing  of  the  enemy.  While  the  Brigade  was  lying  on  the  ground 
in  reserve,  a  shell  dropped  into  the  line  of  the  First  Minnesota 
killing  one  man  and  severely  wounding  a  Sergeant  belonging 
to  that  regiment.  About  five  o'clock  the  First  Minnesota  was 
taken  from  the  Brigade  and  conducted  a  short  distance  to  the 
left,  to  support  Battery  C,  Fourth  United  States  Artillery. 
The  Fifteenth  Massachusetts  and  Eighty-second  New  York  were 
then  taken  and  conducted  to  the  front  as  far  as  the  Emmits- 
burg  road  and  placed  in  position  near  the  Codori  House,  to  pro 
tect  the  right  flank  of  Humphreys'  Division,  which  was  being 


70  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

driven  back.  In  the  meantime,  the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts 
and  Forty-second  New  York  had  been  taken  out  of  the  Third 
Brigade  line  and  sent  to  the  left,  as  a  support  to  some  portion 
of  Sickles'  Corps.  The  First  Division,  under  General  Caldwell 
had  also  been  withdrawn  from  our  left  and  sent  to  report  to 
General  Sykes,  to  aid  in  extricating  Sickles  from  his  precarious 
situation.  That  left  the  Nineteenth  Maine  practically  alone 
on  the  particular  part  of  the  field  it  then  occupied.  After  these 
changes  were  made,  the  Regiment  was  then  formed  in  line,  taken 
somewhat  to  the  left  and  advanced  rapidly  to  the  front.  There 
were  no  troops  then  between  its  left  company  and  the  First 
Minnesota,  about  sixty  rods  away.  General  Hancock  rode 
along  and  jumped  from  his  horse  and  took  the  first  man  on  the 
left  (who  was  George  Durgin  of  Company  F)  and  conducted 
him  forward  about  a  couple  of  rods  and  a  little  to  the  left.  He 
said  to  Durgin,  "Will  you  stay  here?"  Durgin  who  was  a  short 
heavy  man,  looked  up  into  the  General's  face  and  replied,  "  I'll 

stay  here,  General,  until  h 1  freezes  over."     The  general 

smiled  and  ordered  the  Colonel  to  dress  his  regiment  on  that 
man,  jumped  upon  his  horse  and  galloped  away. 

Sergeant  Silas  Adams,  of  Company  F,  furnishes  the  follow 
ing  description  of  the  Regiment's  experiences  on  the  2nd  of 
July: 

"The  Confederates  made  no  attack  in  front  of  the  position  we 
were  holding  in  the  forenoon,  but  they  evidently  knew  we  were  there. 
Every  now  and  then  they  would  pitch  a  shell  over  among  us,  which 
would  strike  in  our  midst,  killing  or  wounding  a  number  of  men.  All 
we  could  do  was  to  lie  there  and  guess  where  the  next  one  would  strike 
or  who  the  next  victim  would  be.  We  were  near  enough  to  the  crest 
of  the  hill  to  get  the  full  benefit  of  their  fireworks.  The  Third  Corps 
under  General  Sickles,  was  in  full  view,  forming  on  the  Emmitsburg 
road,  his  left  division  extending  through  a  peach  orchard  toward  Little 
Round  Top.  Sickles'  right  division,  under  General  Humphreys,  ex 
tended  along  the  Emmitsburg  road  toward  the  Codori  house.  In 
order  to  protect  the  right  flank  of  the  Third  Corps,  Battery  B,  First  R.  I. 
Artillery,  the  Eighty-second  New  York  and  Fifteenth  Massachusetts 
Regiments  were  advanced  to  the  Emmitsburg  road  and  took  position 
near  the  Codori  house.  We  watched  with  intense  interest  the  progress 
of  the  battle  and  soon  saw  that  it  was  a  losing  fight  on  the  part  of  the 
Third  Corps.  Through  the  smoke  we  could  see  the  approach  of  the 
coming  storm.  Humphreys'  Division  was  breaking  up  and  coming 
toward  us,  yet  stubbornly  holding  on  and  contesting  every  foot  of 
ground.  At  last  being  overpowered  by  weight  of  numbers,  Hum 
phreys'  line  came  back  in  confusion, — a  broken,  disorganized  mass. 
This  was  late  in  the  afternoon.  Colonel  Heath  walked  rapidly  along 


Sergeant  Silas  Adams,  Co.   F. 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  Jl 

in  front  of  the  Regiment,  cautioning  the  men  to  lie  still  and  permit 
the  retreating  troops  to  pass  over  us.  Our  right  extended  well  up  the 
ridge,  but  there  was  no  infantry  connection  on  our  left  except  the  First 
Minnesota,  some  sixty  rods  away  and  more  to  the  rear,  east  of  the  ra 
vine.  Two  batteries  joined  us  on  the  left  and  that  brought  their  left 
gun  quite  to  the  head  of  the  ravine.  We  lay  upon  our  faces,  hugging 
the  ground.  Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  retreating  soldiers  of  Hum 
phreys'  Division.  Some  of  them  were  wounded  and  some  of  the 
wounded  were  being  brought  back  by  their  comrades.  They  were  all 
of  them  in. a  hurry.  These  men  were  not  particular  where  they  stepped 
in  walking  over  us,  they  only  seemed  intent  upon  getting  to  the  rear 
and  out  of  the  reach  of  their  relentless  pursuers.  Yet  there  were  many 
brave  spirits  among  these  routed  troops.  Some  called  out  to  us, 
'Hang  on,  boys,  and  we  will  form  in  your  rear.'  Others  informed 
us  that  we  were  whipped  and  all  was  lost.  A  portion  ot  the  Excelsior 
Brigade  tried  to  re-form  and  collected  perhaps  a  hundred  men,  but 
they  were  soon  swept  away  in  the  general  panic.  As  soon  as  the  last 
of  the  Third  Corps  got  out  of  the  way,  we  found  the  Confederates 
following  and  giving  the  routed  men  good  and  sufficient  reasons  for 
being  in  a  hurry.  The  enemy  was  about  thirty-five  yards  from  our 
lines  when  Colonel  Heath  gave  the  order  the  rise  and  fire.  The  Nine 
teenth  had  about  400  men  in  line  of  battle  when  the  Regiment  rose 
and  delivered  its  deadly  fire  into  the  faces  of  the  Confederates.  They 
were  staggered  and  halted.  In  this  position  of  some  thirty  yards 
from  their  lines  we  fired  about  eight  rounds  each  into  their  ranks.  The 
Battery  which  joined  us  upon  our  left  commenced  firing  the  moment 
the  front  was  clear  of  the  Third  Corps.  These  guns  did  most  excellent 
work.  The  gunners,  with  coats  off  and  sleeves  rolled  up,  were  working 
their  guns  throwing  shell  and  canister  into,  and  making  terrible  havoc 
in  the  enemy's  ranks.  Company  F  under  Captain  Starbird,  held  the 
left  of  the  Regimental  line.  He  discovered  some  of  the  enemy  upon 
his  left  flank.  The  left  of  Company  F  was  thrown  back  a  short  dis 
tance  to  meet  this  new  emergency.  This  movement  to  the  rear,  on 
the  left  of  our  line,  exposed  the  battery  on  our  left  to  capture,  so  the 
guns  of  the  battery  were  drawn  back  to  conform  to  our  movement. 
The  First  Minnesota  was  stationed  sixty-five  rods  to  our  left.  This 
Regiment  charged  across  the  ravine,  checking  and  driving  back  the 
Rebel  brigade  of  Alabama  troops  under  Wilcox.  This  renowned 
charge  of  the  First  Minnesota  in  its  great  loss  has  never  been  equaled  in 
modern  warfare.  In  killed  and  wounded,  out  of  263  men  engaged, 
it  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  over  200.  The  advance  of  the  Minnesota 
men  uncovered  the  right  of  Perry's  Florida  Brigade,  now  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Lang. 

"On  July  2nd,  the  Fifty-ninth  New  York  or  the  Seventh  Michigan 
was  the  next  regiment  on  our  right,  and  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts 
was  still  further  to  its  right.  This  was  all  of  the  Third  Brigade  in  our 
line,  as  the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts  and  Forty-second  New  York 
had  been  ordered  to  the  left,  in  support  of  Sickles.  Then  to  the  right 
of  the  Third  Brigade  was  Webb's  Brigade  of  our  Division.  While  the 
Fifty-ninth  New  York  and  the  Seventh  Michigan  repulsed  the  charge  of 
the  Confederates,  these  regiments  did  not  attempt  to  follow  them  as 
they  retreated  across  the  Emmitsburg  road.  The  Twentieth  Massa 
chusetts,  on  the  right  of  these  two  regiments,  never  fired  a  shot  except 
what  firing  was  done  by  two  companies  on  the  skirmish  line.  The 
First  Minnesota  and  the  Nineteenth  Maine  were  the  only  regiments  in 
our  Division  that  undertook  to  follow  the  Confederates  across  the 
Emmitsburg  road.  The  Minnesota  boys  charged  as  far  as  our  Regi- 


72  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

ment  did,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Emmitsburg  road  did  not  run 
parallel  with  our  line  of  battle,  they  did  not  reach  that  road. 

"A  color  Sergeant  in  front  of  the  Rebel  lines  made  himself  con 
spicuous,  advancing  to  the  front  and  waving  his  flag.  Colonel  Heath 
called  out  to  some  of  his  men,  'Drop  that  color-bearer.'  A  member  of 
Company  C  responded  and  the  Sergeant  went  down  .with  his  flag. 
During  the  progress  of  the  battle,  Colonel  Heath  received  word  that 
the  enemy  had  made  his  appearance  on  our  right  flank.  He  ordered 
the  Regiment  to  fall  back,  and  it  did  so  in  perfect  order.  The  distance 
the  Regiment  fell  back  did  not  exceed  two  or  three  rods,  when  they 
faced  the  enemy  again  and,  in  perfect  alignment  began  firing  again. 
While  the  Nineteenth  was  engaged  in  loading  and  firing,  it  was  ob 
served  that  a  small  body  of  men  had  formed  in  our  rear.  They  were 
waving  their  flags  and  appeared  to  be  cheering  us  on  in  the  work  we 
had  in  hand.  They  showed  no  anxiety,  however,  to  advance  with  us. 
We  heard  the  ringing  order  of  Colonel  Heath  to  fix  bayonets.  Then 
the  order  to  charge  was  given  and  the  Regiment  started  forward  and 
down  across  the  plain,  like  a  tornado  let  loose.  The  men  made  much 
noise  in  the  way  of  cheering.  The  Rebels  fell  back  rapidly  and  our 
Regiment  advanced  nearly  to  the  Emmitsburg  road,  capturing  many 
prisoners,  two  stands  of  colors,  three  pieces  of  artillery  and  four  cais 
sons.  The  cannon  and  caissons  were  among  the  captures  of  the  enemy 
from  the  Third  Corps.  In  charging  across  the  field,  our  men  discovered 
the  enemy  making  off  with  these  captures,  hauling  them  away  with  drag 
ropes.  Colonel  Heath  ordered  us  to  recapture  them,  which  we  did  in 
short  order.  When  the  Regiment  was  ordered  to  halt,  its  right  wing 
could  not  have  been  more  than  four  rods  from  the  Emmitsburg  road, 
the  left  wing  being  somewhat  further  away,  as  the  line  of  our  advance 
was  not  at  right  angles  with  the  road.  When  the  Rebels  had  retreated 
beyond  the  point  where  we  halted,  they  returned  a  brisk  fire  into  our 
lines.  We  were  ordered  to  lie  down.  In  advancing,  the  left  of  our 
Regimental  line  passed  over  the  flag  of  the  Eighth  Florida  Regiment, 
and  Colonel  Heath  stated  that  the  right  of  our  Regiment  also  brought 
down  another  Rebel  flag  in  our  charge  across  the  plain.  We  had  no 
infantry  connection  immediately  upon  our  right  or  left.  Just  as  we 
were  ordered  back,  our  attention  was  attracted  by  loud  cheering  in  the 
rear.  It  was  a  portion  of  the  Excelsior  Brigade  which  had  followed  us 
about  one-third  of  the  distance  we  had  charged  and  had  come  up  to 
the  Eighth  Florida  flag,  lying  upon  the  ground.  These  New  York 
men  were  waving  that  Rebel  flag  and  cheering  wildly.  The  other 
Rebel  flag  over  which  we  had  charged  was  also  picked  up  and  some  of 
the  cannon  from  which  the  Nineteenth  had  driven  the  Rebels  were 
hauled  back  as  trophies  of  the  valor  of  the  Third  Corps. 

"Our  honors  were  rapidly  disappearing.  The  trophies  of  our 
victory,  so  dearly  earned,  were  borne  away  by  the  men  following  in 
our  footsteps,  far  behind.  The  honor  of  capturing  the  Eighth  Florida 
flag  went  to  Sergeant  Hogan  of  the  Seventy-second  New  York,  of  the 
Excelsior  Brigade.  When  Hogan  picked  up  the  flag  in  question  there 
was  not  a  live  Rebel  soldier  within  half  a  mile  of  him,  unless  such 
Rebel  soldier  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  Colonel  Brewster,  commander  of 
the  Excelsior  Brigade  reports  that  he  had  collected  about  150  men 
from  four  regiments  of  his  Brigade  at  the  time  that  Hogan  picked  up 
this  flag.  He  also  claims  that  they  captured  the  Major  of  the  Eighth 
Florida  with  this  flag.  This  would  be  'important  it  true.'  The  Major 
of  that  regiment,  however,  was  not  captured  by  anyone.  When  the 
Regiment  returned  to  its  former  position,  it  took  back  the  three  twelve- 
pounders  (brass)  which  it  had  captured,  and  four  caissons.  When  we 


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GETTYSBURG 

July  2nd  1863. 
SECOND    DAY. 


From"MA!NE    AT    GETTYSBURG." 


THE  GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN  73 

reached  the  place  from  which  we  had  charged,  we  found  a  new  line 
of  battle,  made  up  of  new  troops  from  other  corps.  When  the  Regi 
ment  appeared  upon  the  scene  with  the  three  guns  and  the  four  caissons 
coming  from  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  the  whole  line  went  wild  with 
cheers  over  the  brilliant  charge  and  capture  by  the  Nineteenth  Maine. 
Congratulations  were  extended  the  men  of  the  Regiment  upon  every 
side." 

While  elated  by  our  success  in  repulsing  the  enemy,  it  was 
a  very  sad  night  to  the  most  of  the  boys  of  the  Regiment.  When 
the  roll  was  called,  many  a  brave  boy  for  the  first  time  failed  to 
respond  to  his  name.  The  answers  made  by  the  living  for  their 
dead  or  wounded  comrades  were  pathetic.  As  the  names  of 
the  missing  would  be  called,  such  answers  as  these  would  be 
returned:  'John  was  killed  before  we  fired  a  shot."  "I  saw 
Frank  throw  up  his  arms  and  fall  just  after  we  fired  the  first 
volley."  "Jim  was  shot  through  the  head."  'Charley  was 
killed  while  we  were  charging  across  the  plain  this  side  of  the 
brick  house."  "  I  saw  Joe  lying  on  the  ground,  his  face  covered 
with  blood,  but  he  was  not  dead."  "George  was  killed  by  a 
piece  of  shell,  while  we  were  firing."  "Ed  is  lying  dead  some 
distance  this  side  of  the  Emmitsburg  road."  Strong  men 
sobbed  as  the  heroic  dead  were  named. 

The  sun  set  on  July  2nd  at  twenty-three  minutes  past 
seven,  almanac  time.  It  was  nearly  dusk  when  the  Regiment 
returned  from  its  charge.  The  boys  of  the  Nineteenth  lay 
down  upon  the  ground  to  rest  for  the  night  at  nearly  the  point 
from  which  we  charged  in  the  late  afternoon.  There  was  not 
much  sleep  that  night.  The  cries  of  the  wounded  men,  lying 
between  the  lines,  suffering  with  pain  and  burning  with  fever 
were  most  pitiful.  The  writer  vividly  remembers  responding 
to  a  cry  for  water  a  few  rods  in  advance  of  where  the  Regiment 
was  lying.  It  was  yet  hardly  dark  and  the  moon  was  shining. 
The  poor  fellow  calling  for  help  was  a  Confederate  soldier.  He 
was  a  fine  looking  boy,  of  some  seventeen  years,  and  stated 
that  he  belonged  to  one  of  the  Georgia  regiments  of  Wright's 
Brigade.  He  was  shot  through  one  of  his  lungs  and  was  bleed 
ing  internally.  The  boy  stated  that  he  was  the  only  child  of  a 
widowed  mother  and  that  he  had  run  away  from  home,  to  enlist 
in  the  Southern  army.  His  pallid  face,  blue  eyes  and  quiver 
ing  lips  appealed  for  sympathy  and  encouragement.  He  said 


74  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

that  his  mother  was  a  Christian  woman,  but  that  he  was  not  a 
Christian.  Kneeling  by  his  side,  and  at  the  earnest  request  of 
this  young  soldier,  the  writer,  poorly  prepared  for  the  sacred 
duty,  tried  to  pray  with  and  comfort  this  dying^  boy.  At  the 
first  dawn  of  day  upon  the  following  morning  this  Confederate 
boy  was  found  in  just  the  position  the  writer  had  placed  him 
the  evening  before, — his  eyes  gla/ed  in  death,  looking  up  into 
the  morning  sky,  yet  not  seeing  nor  caring  then.  The  poor 
mother  waiting  at  the  lonely  hearthstone  never  knew  what  had 
become  of  her  only  child.  She  no  doubt  lived  in  the  belief,  as 
well  she  might,  that  her  prayers  had  followed  and  influenced 
the  life  and  character  of  her  boy.  Other  mothers,  heart 
broken,  all  over  the  country,  waited  in  vain  for  the  coming  of 
the  boy  who  never  returned.  Such  is  war. 

The  most  of  the  authorities  on  the  battle  of  Gettysburg 
claim  that  it  was  Wright's  Georgia  Brigade  that  our  Regiment 
charged  against  on  the  night  of  July  2nd.  It  is  unquestion 
ably  true,  as  Sergeant  Adams  asserts,  that  the  left  of  our  line 
passed  over  the  flag  of  the  Eighth  Florida  Regiment  lying  upon 
the  ground.  The  explanation  of  this  apparent  discrepancy 
probably  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  left  of  the  Florida  Brigade 
and  the  right  of  the  Georgia  Brigade  became  mingled  in  their 
charge.  When  the  First  Minnesota  drove  back  Wilcox'  Brig 
ade  of  Alabamians,  the  Florida  Brigade  being  next  to  them, 
swerved  to  their  left  and  toward  our  right,  to  avoid  the  Minne 
sota  men.  In  the  formation  of  Wright's  Georgia  Brigade,  the 
Forty-eighth  Regiment  was  on  its  extreme  left;  yet  the  flag 
of  this  regiment  was  captured  by  the  Eighty-second  New  York 
of  our  Brigade,  although  the  Fifty-ninth  New  York  is  given  the 
credit  for  the  capture  of  this  flag.  The  Eighty-second  cap 
tured  this  flag  after  it  had  been  driven  from  Codori  House  to 
our  line  in  the  early  part  of  the  battle  and  then  had  re-formed 
and  charged  toward  the  Emmitsburg  road.  The  io6th  Penn 
sylvania,  which  was  then  upon  the  immediate  right  of  the 
Eighty-second  New  York,  claimed  to  have  captured  William 
Gibson,  the  Colonel  of  the  Forty-eighth  Georgia.  Colonel 
Lang,  the  commander  of  the  Florida  Brigade,  reported  that  he 
advanced  the  same  time  that  General  Wilcox  did  with  his  brig- 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  75 

ade,  and  after  he  had  advanced  to  the  foot  of  Cemetery  Hill,  he 
was  informed  that  Wilcox  had  fallen  back.  Going  to  the  right 
of  his  brigade  he  discovered  that  our  men  had  passed  him,  going 
more  than  one  hundred  yards  toward  the  Emmitsburg  road. 
Upon  seeing  this,  Colonel  Lang  ordered  his  Brigade  to  retire. 
It  was  the  First  Minnesota  that  checked  Wilcox,  and  Sergeant 
Adams  reports  that  the  position  of  this  regiment  was  more  than 
sixty  rods  to  our  left.  Colonel  Colvill,  of  the  First  Minnesota, 
in  a  communication  written  before  his  death,  acknowledged 
his  indebtedness  to  the  Nineteenth  Maine  for  its  flank  fire  upon 
the  Confederates  pressing  his  right. 

Colonel  W.  F.  Fox,  in  his  history  of  New  York  at  Gettys 
burg,  states  that  Anderson's  Brigades  were  "checked  by  the 
well-directed  flank  fire  from  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  of  Har 
row's  Brigade." 

In  his  report,  General  Hancock  speaks  of  the  repulse  of 
the  enemy  on  July  2nd,  in  front  of  Gibbon's  Division  and  adds 
the  following  complimentary  allusion  to  our  Regiment:  "In 
this  last  operation  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  Colonel  F.  E.  Heath 
commanding,  bore  a  conspicuous  part."  General  Harrow  in  his 
official  report,  stated  that  "the  enemy  continued  to  advance 
until  they  attacked  with  great  fury  the  commands  of  Colonels 
Colvill  and  Heath,  endeavoring  to  take  the  batteries  under 
their  protection."  General  Harrow  then  commends  in  the 
strongest  language  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Evan  Thomas, 
commanding  Battery  C,  Fourth  United  States  Artillery,  be 
tween  our  Regiment  and  the  First  Minnesota,  and  the  effective 
fire  of  Thomas'  guns.  General  Harrow  then  adds  the  following 
in  his  report:  "Colonel  Heath,  Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers, 
was  attacked  with  equal  desperation,  the  enemy  at  one  time  ob 
taining  possession  of  three  of  the  guns  of  the  battery  on  his  left. 
These  guns  he  retook  and  carried  from  the  field,  most  of  the 
battery  horses  having  been  killed  and  many  of  the  gunners 
killed  and  wounded.  The  officers  and  men  of  this  command, 
as  also  the  officers  and  men  of  the  battery,  deserve  high  com 
mendation  for  their  determination  and  valor." 

After  our  charge  troops  from  other  corps  were  hurried  into 
the  space  occupied  earlier  in  the  day  by  Caldwell's  Division, 


j  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

but  before  they  arrived  the  Confederate  brigades  had  been 
pounded  back  across  the  Emmitsburg  road. 

A  statement  appears  in  the  history  of  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  in  the  volume,  "Maine  at  Gettysburg,",  published  by 
authority  of  the  State,  that  the  author  believes  is  entitled  to 
no  credence  whatever.  This  statement  represents  General 
Humphreys,  on  the  night  of  July  2nd,  riding  back  in  front  of 
his  retreating  division  to  our  Regiment,  then  lying  upon  the 
ground,  and  ordering  our  men  to  rise  and  stop,  with  the  bay 
onet,  the  retreating  soldiers  of  his  command.  It  is  further 
stated  that  Colonel  Heath  refused  to  permit  his  men  to  obey 
the  order,  and  that  General  Humphreys  rode  down  our  Regi 
mental  line  giving  the  order  himself,  and  that  Colonel  Heath 
followed,  countermanding  the  order.  This  statement,  in  a 
modified  form,  first  appeared  many  years  after  the  war.  As 
originally  given  out  by  Colonel  Heath,  it  was  that  an  officer 
whom  he  supposed  was  General  Humphreys  ordered  him  to 
have  his  men,  with  the  bayonet,  stop  the  retreating  troops. 
General  Humphreys  died  December  27,  1883.  This  fiction 
really  never  appeared  until  years  after  his  death.  The  late 
Captain  Nash  never  placed  any  credence  in  this  story.  Neither 
does  Major  Charles  Hamlin,  the  Assistant  Adjutant-General 
of  Humphreys'  Division.  Doubtless  some  officer  did  urge 
Colonel  Heath  to  do  what  he  claims.  The  colorless  report 
which  Colonel  Heath  made  of  the  engagement,  in  which  he 
devotes  less  than  six  lines  to  the  most  heroic  act  in  the  history 
of  the  Regiment,  does  not  reflect  any  special  credit  upon  him. 
He  claims  that  he  originally  furnished  a  fuller  report,  which  by 
reason  of  his  criticism  of  other  troops  in  that  engagement,  was 
returned  to  him  disapproved.  As  late  as  1889,  Colonel  Heath, 
in  a  letter,  related  this  episode  as  to  Humphreys.  He  did  not 
then  assert  that  the  officer  who  ordered  him  to  halt  the  retreat 
ing  men  of  the  Third  Corps  was  General  Humphreys.  A  West 
Point  officer  as  strict  and  punctilious  as  General  Humphreys 
would  not  be  likely  to  do  what  is  charged  in  this  distorted 
account. 

On  the  evening  of  July  2nd,  the  prospects  of  our  army  did 
not  then  appear  hopeful  to  the  Union  officers.  During  the  after- 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  77 

noon  the  Third  Corps  had  been  almost  annihilated.  The  First 
Division  of  the  Second  Corps  and  two  Divisions  of  the  Fifth  in 
the  contests  in  the  Wheat  Field  and  at  the  base  of  Little  Round 
Top  had  lost  one-half  of  their  men.  The  enemy's  line  of  battle 
was  much  further  advanced  upon  our  left  than  in  the  morning. 
A  portion  of  our  breastworks  at  Gulp's  Hill  was  also  in  the  pos 
session  of  the  enemy.  The  situation  was  serious  enough  for 
anxious  consideration. 

There  was  a  celebrated  council  of  war  upon  the  field  of 
Gettysburg  on  the  night  of  July  2nd,  of  which  the  private 
soldier  was  supposed  to  know  nothing.  Privates  may,  however, 
observe  their  commanding  officers  and  make  mental  note  of 
their  appearance. 

General  Meade,  the  commander  of  the  army,  was  a  tall, 
spare  man  with  grayish  whiskers  and  a  large  nose,  and  he  always 
wore  spectacles.  He  was  then  forty-eight  years  old,  and  he 
might  then  have  been  taken  for  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  un 
less  one  approached  him  when  he  was  mad.  General  Double- 
day  was  not  in  that  council ;  though  many  thought  he  ought  to 
have  been.  He  was  a  New  Yorker  by  birth  and  forty-four 
years  old.  He  had  a  large  head,  high  forehead,  was  rather 
stout  in  appearance,  had  brown  hair  and  wore  a  moustache. 
He  was  rather  distinguished  looking.  General  Newton,  the 
First  Corps  commander,  was  a  thick  set  man,  with  brown  hair, 
a  ruddy  complexion  and  a  clean  shaven  face.  He  was  forty-four 
years  of  age  and  a  fine  looking  man.  General  Hancock,  the 
gallant  commander  of  the  Second  Corps,  was  the  best  looking 
officer  in  the  army.  He  was  tall  and  well  proportioned,  had  a 
ruddy  complexion,  brown  hair,  and  he  wore  a  moustache  and 
tuft  of  hair  upon  his  chin.  He  was  thirty-nine  years  old.  Had 
General  Hancock  worn  citizen's  clothes,  his  order  would  have 
been  obeyed  anywhere,  for  he  had  the  appearance  of  a  man 
born  to  command.  General  Gibbon  had  command  of  the  Sec 
ond  Corps  much  of  the  time  until  he  was  wounded.  He  was 
in  the  council  on  the  night  of  July  2nd.  Gibbon  was  a  man  of 
the  same  age  and  about  the  same  size  as  General  Slocum.  He 
had  brown  hair  and  a  reddish  moustache.  He  was,  upon  the 
whole,  a  good  looking  officer  and  never  appeared  nervous 


78  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

nor  excited.  General  Sykes,  who  commanded  the  Fifth  Corps, 
had  rather  a  florid  complexion,  brown  hair  and  blue  eyes.  He 
was  small  in  size,  gentlemanly  in  appearance,  wore  a  full  beard 
and  was  then  forty-one  years  of  age.  General  Sedgwick,  the 
beloved  commander  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  did  not  have  much 
about  him  to  indicate  his  military  education.  He  was  heavy- 
set/Jiad  brown  hair,  inclined  to  auburn  in  color,  and  always 
wore  a  full  beard.  He  was  fifty  years  old,  and  was  "Uncle 
John"  to  his  boys.  There  was  probably  not  a  more  popular 
corps  commander  in  the  army.  General  Howard  was  the 
youngest  of  the  corps  commanders,  being  thirty-three  years  old. 
He  had  a  dignified  manner,  had  brown  hair,  wore  a  full  beard 
and  had  blue  eyes.  He  attracted  attention  because  of  his  empty 
sleeve,  having  lost  an  arm  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks.  The 
Twelfth  Corps  was  commanded  by  General  Slocum,  a  man  with 
black  hair  and  eyes,  slight  in  build  and  of  somewhat  nervous 
temperament.  He  was  thirty-six  years  old.  General  Pleason- 
ton,  who  commanded  our  cavalry,  was  thirty-nine  years  old. 
He  had  brown  hair  and  beard.  During  this  campaign,  General 
Pleasonton  wore  a  straw  hat.  General  Buford,  who  inaugu 
rated  the  battle,  was  thirty-eight  years  old  and  died  of  disease 
six  months  later,  on  the  very  day  his  commission  as  Major- 
General,  to  date  from  July  ist,  '63,  was  placed  in  his  hands. 
Buford  was  a  fine  officer.  None  of  these  officers  would  weigh 
to  exceed  150  to  160  pounds. 

These  Union  officers  averaged  younger  than  the  men  in 
high  command  among  the  Confederates.  At  this  time,  General 
Lee  was  fifty-seven  years  of  age;  Longstreet  forty-two;  Ewell 
forty-six,  and  A.  P.  Hill  thirty-seven.  General  Stuart,  the 
commander  of  their  cavalry,  was  only  thirty,  while  Wade 
Hampton  was  forty-five. 

The  decision  of  this  council  was  that  we  were  to  wait  the 
attack  of  the  enemy  and  fight  it  out  here,  watching  for  any 
favorable  opportunity  to  administer  a  counter  stroke.  This 
was  a  wise  conclusion.  Several  persons,  either  through  malice 
or  a  desire  to  exalt  themselves  have  asserted  that  Meade  was 
desirous  at  this  time  of  retreating  from  the  field  to  the  line  of 
Pipe  Creek.  Some  credence  was  attached  to  this  assertion  im- 


THE    GETTYSBURG    CAMPAIGN  79 

mediately  after  the  war,  but  nobody  of  intelligence  believes 
it  now. 

At  sunrise,  Friday  morning  July  3rd,  there  were  four  com 
panies,  (B,  D,  E,  and  F),  of  our  Regiment,  under  command  of 
Captain  Fogler,  detailed  for  the  skirmish  line.  We  moved  some 
distance  to  the  right  and  then  advanced  toward  the  Emmitsburg 
road.  When  these  companies  had  reached  nearly  to  the  road 
they  took  distance  by  the  left  flank.  Company  F  occupied 
the  right  of  the  skirmish  line  and  Company  B  the  left.  The 
extreme  right  of  the  line  was  quite  near  the  Emmitsburg  road 
and  opposite  the  Codori  House.  The  extreme  left  of  the 
skirmish  line  was  further  from  the  road  than  the  right.  Our 
four  companies  and  fifty  men  from  the  io6th  Pennsylvania 
on  our  right  covered  the  entire  Division  line. 

We  had  drawn  no  rations  the  day  before,  and  many  of  the 
boys  had  not  tasted  food  for  twenty-four  hours.  Most  of  them 
went  to  their  posts  without  breakfast,  and  we  had  no  opportun 
ity  to  procure  water  on  that  morning.  The  3rd  of  July,  1863, 
was  an  intensely  hot  day.  There  was  hardly  a  breath  of  air 
stirring.  From  sunrise  until  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  those 
companies  in  the  Brigade  line  had  the  more  desirable  position. 
The  four  companies  on  the  skirmish  line  were  obliged  to  hug  the 
ground  concealing  their  bodies  in  the  grass  as  best  they  could, 
to  avoid  the  Confederate  sharpshooters  concealed  in  buildings, 
behind  fences,  trees  and  rocks  on  the  rising  slope  beyond  the 
Emmitsburg  road.  The  men  in  the  line  of  battle  could  pro 
tect  themselves  from  bullets  of  the  enemy  by  lying  behind  the 
slight  works  that  had  been  hastily  constructed  on  Cemetery 
Hill. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  there  was  suddenly  opened 
the  most  terrific  cannonading  ever  witnessed  on  this  continent. 
On  Seminary  Ridge  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  Confederate 
guns  were  turned  upon  our  lines,  and  mostly  upon  Gibbon's 
Division  of  the  Second  Corps.  This  was  the  point  of  attack 
selected  by  General  Lee  for  his  last  mighty  effort  to  break  the 
Union  lines.  A  clump  of  trees,  the  center  of  the  point  of  attack, 
was  about  the  middle  of  the  Second  Corps  line.  Owing  to  the 
form  of  the  Union  line,  only  about  eighty  Union  guns  responded 


80  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

to  the  Confederate  challange.  The  Confederate  line  was  con 
cave  on  the  side  toward  us,  and  their  guns  were  throwing  pro 
jectiles  of  every  kind  at  our  line  of  battle.  The  very  earth 
seemed  to  tremble  as  if  in  the  convulsions  of  a.  mighty  earth 
quake.  The  earth  was  thrown  up  in  clouds  and  the  air  filled 
with  screeching  missiles  of  death.  Upon  every  side  horses  were 
falling  and  caissons  exploding.  Animals  fled  in  terror.  Horses 
accustomed  to  the  noises  of  battle  neighed  in  fright.  Shells 
exploding  in  the  air  sent  their  jagged  fragments  in  all  direc 
tions.  Mothers  in  neighboring  houses,  with  pale  faces  and 
white  lips,  clasped  their  little  children  in  their  arms  in  mortal 
fear.  The  crash  and  roar  were  unearthly.  It  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  horror  and  suffering  and  havoc  of  this  hour. 

Partly  to  deceive  the  enemy  and  partly  to  meet  the  an 
ticipated  assault,  the  Union  lines  slackened  fire  a  little  before 
three  o'clock.  The  Confederates  thought  they  had  silenced  our 
guns  and  felt  greatly  encouraged.  The  troops  of  Pickett's 
Division  of  Longstreet's  Corps  which  had  not  yet  been  engaged 
had  been  massed  in  the  meantime  under  cover  of  the  ridge 
running  between  Seminary  Ridge  and  the  Emmitsbury  road. 
Heth's  Division,  now  under  the  command  of  Pettigrew1  was 
formed  to  the  rear  and  left  of  Pickett  behind  Seminary  Ridge. 
The  troops  of  Wilcox,  Perry  and  Wright  were  formed  in  the  rear 
and  to  the  right  of  Pickett's  line.  The  Brigades  of  Scales  and 
Lane,  from  Pender's  Division,  were  formed  in  the  rear  of  Petti- 
grew.  This  body  of  troops,  formed  for  the  purpose  of  annihilat 
ing  Gibbon's  Division,  numbered  about  15,000  men.  General 
Hunt,  Chief  of  Artillery,  had  been  informed  by  signal  from 
General  Warren,  located  on  Round  Top,  that  these  troops  were 
forming  for  an  attack  behind  the  hills.  We  did  not  have  long  to 
wait.  The  advance  troops  of  this  charging  column,  marching 
with  regular  quick  step  toward  us,  appeared  beyond  the  Emmits- 
burg  road.  Kemper's  Brigade  of  Pickett's  Division  held  the 
right  of  their  line,  and  on  its  left  was  Garnett's  Brigade;  while 
Armistead's  Brigade  was  slightly  in  their  rear,  hurrying  forward 


iBrigadier  General  Joseph  R.  Davis,  a  brother  of  Jefferson  Davis, 
commanded  one  of  the  Brigades  in  Pettigrew's  Division. 


"'•',    §£?  jj"  I      "|  £>!!&         Gen'.SLOtUM  Com<J.R 


BATTLE    OF 

GETTYSBURG 

July  3rd.  1863. 
THIRD     DAY. 


1   / 

--//  

f<% 

V   OAVAU 

':*^v                   •    ,,--°r  <   •  .  .  .   ••>    •>" 

—  w-r 
rAiH*^"1*1                                J^V//?           s^ 

**                                •:•'.•;} 

\  JIT 

Advance— 

\                        f^- 

ConfvderalP  m^umjiM 

i  Mile     | 

From*  MAINE    AT    GETTYSBURG." 


THE    GETTYSBURG    CAMPAIGN  8l 

to  take  position  on  their  left.  Pickett's  Division  was  composed 
exclusively  of  Virginia  troops. 

The  long  line  of  Confederate  infantry  nearly  a  milelpn 
length  as  it  came  into  view,  presented  one  of  the  most  inspiring 
sights  ever  seen  on  a  field  of  battle.  There  was  a  coolness,  an 
air  of  discipline  and  a  precision  of  movement  that  called  forth 
from  the  Union  soldiers  a  spontaneous  expression  of  admiration. 
Neither  the  enfilading  nor  front  fire  of  our  batteries  delayed 
for  an  instant  the  advance  of  the  Confederates'  decimated  ranks. 
Whenever  and  wherever  a  gap  was  made,  they  closed  up  prompt 
ly  and  moved  steadily  forward.  General  Pickett's  Division  was 
well  on  the  Confederate  right  and  in  advance.  Immediately 
the  Union  batteries  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  Second  Corps  and 
about  Little  Round  Top  opened  fire.  A  better  target  was  never 
offered  the  Union  artillerists.  Into  the  ranks  of  these  devoted 
men  were  hurled  shot  and  shell  and  shrapnel.  The  cannoneers 
standing  at  their  guns  shouted  to  our  skirmishers  to  hurry  in  as 
they  were  going  to  open  fire.  Pickett  himself  did  not  cross 
the  Emmitsburg  road. 

As  the  Confederate  lines  approached  nearer,  the  guns  from 
the  batteries  of  the  Second  Corps,  commanded  by  Woodruff, 
Arnold,  Gushing,  Rorty  and  Cowan,  opened  with  canister  upon 
the  ranks  of  these  brave  Confederates. 

Stannard's  Brigade  of  Doubleday's  Division  was  located 
on  the  left  of  our  Division  and  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  Divi 
sion  line.  Two  of  Stannard's  regiments  changed  front  forward 
on  first  company  and  opened  a  destructive  fire  on  Kemper's 
right  flank.  This  caused  Kemper's  Brigade  to  crowd  to  the 
left.  Armistead's  Brigade,  instead  of  joining  on  the  left  of 
Pickett's  Division,  now  moved  rapidly  between  Kemper  and 
Garnett.  This  brought  Pickett's  men  opposite  the  angle  of  the 
stone  wall,  held  by  a  portion  of  Webb's  Brigade.  As  Pickett's 
Division  approached  this  wall,  it  was  joined  on  its  left  by  the 
Tennessee  Brigade  of  Frye  from  Pettigrew's  Division,  and  also 
a  North  Carolina  brigade  hurried  from  the  rear  and  joined 
Garnett  near  the  angle  of  this  wall.  Upon  the  Sixty-ninth  and 
Seventy-first  Pennsylvania  of  Webb's  Brigade  fell  the  full  force 
of  Pickett's  attack.  These  regiments  were  driven  back.  Gar- 


82  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

nett  was  shot  dead  and  fell  from  his  horse  within  twenty-five 
paces  of  the  stone  wall  and  Kemper  was  wounded.  Cushing's 
guns  had  been  advanced  to  the  stone  wall.  The  brave  Gushing, 
wounded,  fires  the  last  gun  and  falls  dead  among  his  gunners. 
General  Armistead,  with  his  hat  raised  upon  his  sword  and  ac 
companied  by  several  hundered  men  jumped  over  the  Union 
breastworks.  The  exultant  "Rebel  yell,"  sounding  like  wolf 
cries,  is  heard.  The  Union  line  was  broken.  For  a  few  minutes 
the  Confederate  flags  were  waving  on  the  wall  and  in  our  lines. 
It  seemed  for  a  time  that  Pickett's  charge  had  been  successful, 
and  perhaps  it  might  have  been  had  he  been  properly  supported. 

General  Hancock,  mounted  on  his  black  charger,  gallops 
to  and  fro,  hurrying  reinforcements  to  the  point  of  the  broken 
lines,  when  a  ball  strikes  him  near  the  groin  and  he  falls  from 
his  saddle  into  the  arms  of  some  of  Stannard's  staff-officers. 
General  Gibbon,  in  his  life-time,  informed  the  writer  that  while 
hurrying  with  the  Nineteenth  Maine  and  Twentieth  Massachu 
setts  toward  the  captured  angle  of  the  wall,  he  fell  wounded 
among  our  troops.  His  brave  Assistant  Adjutant-General, 
First  Lieutenant  Frank  A.  Haskell,  was  mounted  during  all  this 
engagement  and  was  in  the  front  line  encouraging  our  men.  He 
was  highly  complimented  for  his  conspicuous  bravery  and  dar 
ing  in  the  reports  of  many  of  the  general  officers.  Haskell  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  the  next  June  when  Colonel 
of  the  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  and  while  commanding  our 
Brigade  in  its  unsuccessful  assault  upon  the  Confederate  works. 

The  Nineteenth  Maine  hurried  to  the  right  and  joined 
the  troops  in  front  of  Pickett's  men.  It  was  here  that  Colonel 
Heath  was  wounded.  Several  regiments  from  our  own  Brigade 
and  that  of  Colonel  Hall  hurried  to  Webb's  assistance,  and  with 
out  much  organization,  were  massed,  many  deep,  around  the 
hapless  Confederates  who  had  penetrated  our  lines.  For  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes  the  contending  forces,  in  some  places  within 
rifle*  length  of  each  other  and  in  other  places  hopelessly  mingled, 
fought  with  desperation.  Those  in  front  used  the  butt  ends  of 
their  rifles,  and  those  in  the  rear  of  the  crowd  of  Union  soldiers 
fired  over  the  heads  of  those  in  front,  and  some  of  them  hurled 
stones  at  the  heads  of  the  Confederates.  The  ground  was  cover- 


o 


THE   GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN  83 

ed  with  men  dead,  and  men  wounded  and  bleeding.  In  swift 
succession  the  Confederate  flags  went  down  and  the  men  who 
had  crossed  the  wall,  despairing  of  success,  threw  up  their  hands 
in  token  of  surrender.  General  Armistead  was  mortally  wound 
ed,  thirty-three  yards  within  our  lines,  and  Kemper  was  severely 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  Many  of  the  Confederates  who 
had  not  got  within  our  lines  started  in  retreat  and  scores  of 
them  were  shot  down  on  their  way.  When  the  smoke  and  dust 
lifted,  it  was  found  that  the  three  brigades  of  Pickett's  Division 
had  been  nearly  annihilated. 

The  troops  of  Gibbon  and  Hays  in  this  fight  captured 
nearly  thirty  Confederate  flags  and  about  4,000  prisoners. 
Troops  were  hurried  from  the  other  corps  to  aid  in  repulsing 
this  attack,  but  it  had  ended  before  they  arrived. 

General  Hancock  urged  General  Meade  to  put  into  action 
the  troops  that  had  not  been  engaged  and  make  a  counter  attack 
upon  the  enemy.  There  was  so  much  confusion,  however,  and 
for  other  reasons  not  necessary  to  discuss  here,  this  advice  was 
not  acted  upon. 

Colonel  Hall,  commanding  the  Third  Brigade  of  our  Divi 
sion,  in  speaking  of  the  repulse  of  Pickett's  charge  states, 
"The  Fifteenth  Massachusetts,  First  Minnesota  and  Nine 
teenth  Maine  had  joined  the  line  and  are  entitled  to  a  full  share 
in  the  credit  of  the  final  repulse." 

General  Longstreet  calls  attention  to  the  mistake  of  Kil- 
patrick  at  the  time  of  Pickett's  charge  in  not  putting  Farns- 
worth  into  action  farther  to  our  left  instead  of  pitting  him 
against  Confederate  infantry  and  artillery,  where  his  life  was 
uselessly  sacrificed.  His  language  is,  "  Kilpatrick's  mistake 
was  in  not  putting  Farnsworth  in  on  Merritt's  left,  where  he 
would  have  had  an  open  ride  and  made  more  trouble  than  was 
ever  made  by  a  cavalry  brigade.  Had  the  ride  been  followed  by 
prompt  advance  of  the  enemy's  infantry  in  line  beyond  our 
right  and  pushed  with  vigor,  they  would  have  reached  our  line 
of  retreat."1 

The  Confederates  at  this  time  had  no  cavalry  upon  their 
right.  General  Lee's  plan  was  to  send  Stuart's  cavalry  with 

IFrom  Manassas  to  Appomattox,  p  396 


84  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

a  part  of  Ewell's  Corps  during  Pickett's  charge  around  our  ex 
treme  right  flank  and  rear,  thus  accomplishing  the  complete 
rout  of  the  Union  army  if  Pickett's  charge  was  successful. 
Stuart  found,  however,  confronting  him  General  D.  McM.  Gregg 
with  his  own  Division  of  cavalry  and  that  of  Custer's  Brigade 
from  Kilpatrick's  Division.  Here  occurred  one  of  the  most 
closely  contested  cavalry  engagements  of  the  war,  which  resulted 
in  routing  and  driving  Stuart  from  the  field.  It  was  here  that 
General  Wade  Hampton  was  wounded. 

In  his  description  of  Pickett's  charge,  Lieutenant  Frank  A. 
Haskell,  the  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  our  Division,  wrote, 

"I  was  riding  toward  the  right  of  the  Second  Division,  with  purpose 
to  stop  there,  as  the  most  eligible  position  to  watch  the  further  progress 
of  the  battle,  there  to  be  ready  to  take  part  according  to  my  own  notions 
whenever  and  wherever  occasion  was  presented.  The  conflict  was 
tremendous,  but  I  had  seen  no  wavering  in  all  our  line.  Wondering 
how  long  the  Rebel  ranks,  deep  though  they  were,  could  stand  our 
sheltered  volleys,  I  had  come  near  my  destination,  when — Great 
Heaven!  Were  my  senses  mad?  The  larger  portion  of  Webb's  Brigade 
— My  God,  it  was  true — there  by  the  group  of  trees  and  the  angles  of 
the  wall,  was  breaking  from  the  cover  of  their  works,  and  without 
orders  or  reason,  with  no  hand  lifted  to  check  them,  was  falling  back, 
a  fear-stricken  flock  of  confusion.  The  fate  of  Gettysburg  hung  upon 
a  spider's  single  thread  *  *  *  My  sword  that  had  always  hung 
idle  by  my  side,  the  sign  of  rank  only  in  every  battle,  I  drew,  bright  and 
gleaming  the  symbol  of  command.  Was  not  that  a  fit  occasion,  and 
these  fugitives  the  men  on  whom  to  try  the  temper  of  the  Solingen 
steel?  All  rules  and  proprieties  were  forgotten;  all  considerations  of 
person  and  danger  and  satety  despised ;  for,  as  I  met  the  tide  of  these 
rabbits,  the  damned  red  flags  of  the  rebellion  began  to  thicken  and 
flaunt  along  the  wall  they  had  just  deserted,  and  one  was  already  wav 
ing  over  the  guns  of  the  dead  Gushing.  I  ordered  these  men  to  'halt' 
and  'face  about'  and  'fire'  and  they  heard  my  voice  and  gathered  my 
meaning  and  obeyed  my  commands.  On  some  unpatriotic  backs  of 
those  not  quick  of  comprehension,  the  flat  of  my  sabre  fell  not  lightly, 
and  at  its  touch  their  love  of  country  returned,  and,  with  a  look  at  me 
as  if  I  were  the  destroying  angel  as  I  might  have  become  theirs,  they 
again  faced  the  enemy.  General  Webb  soon  came  to  my  assistance. 
He  was  on  foot,  but  he  was  active,  and  did  all  that  one  could  do  to  re 
pair  the  breach  or  to  avert  the  calamity.  *  *  *  Webb  has  but 
three  regiments,  all  small,  the  69th,  71st  and  72nd  Pa. — the  106th  Pa., 
except  two  companies,  is  not  here  today — and  he  must  have  speedy 
assistance  or  this  crest  will  be  lost.  *  *  *  As  a  last  resort,  I  re 
solved  to  see  if  Hall  and  Harrow  could  not  send  some  of  their  commands 
to  reinforce  WTebb.  *  *  General  Harrow  I  did  not  see  but  his  fight 
ing  men  would  answer  my  purpose  as  well.  The  19th  Maine,  the  15th 
Mass.,  the  82nd  N.  Y.  and  the  shattered  old  thunderbolt,  the  1st  Minne 
sota, — poor  Parrel  was  dying  then  upon  the  ground  where  he  had  fallen, 
— all  men  that  I  could  find  I  took  over  to  the  right  at  the  double 
quick  *****************  * 

"These  men  of  Penn.,  on  the  soil  of  their  own  homesteads,  the 


THE  GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN  85 

first  and  only  to  flee  the  wall  must  be  the  first  to  storm  it.  'Major 
,  lead  your  men  over  the  crest,  they  will  follow.'  'By  the  tac 
tics  I  understand  my  place  is  in  the  rear  of  the  men.'  'Your  pardon, 
sir;  I  see  your  place  is  in  the  rear  of  the  men.  I  thought  you  were  fit  to 

lead.'     'Captain ,  come  on  with    your  men.'     'Let  me  first  stop 

this  fire  in  the  rear,  or  we    shall  be  hit    by  our  own  men.'       'Never 

mind  the  fire  in  the  rear;  let  us  take  care  of    this  in  the  front    first." 

************ 

"Just  as  the  fight  was  over,  and  the  first  outburst  of  victory  had 
a  little  subsided,  when  all  in  front  of  the  crest  was  noise  and  confusion 
— prisoners  being  collected,  small  parties  in  pursuit  of  them  far  down 
into  the  fields,  flags  waving,  officers  giving  quick,  sharp  commands  to 
their  men — I  stood  apart  a  few  moments  upon  the  crest,  by  that  group 
of  trees  which  ought  to  be  historic  forever,  a  spectator  of  the  thrilling 
scene  around.  Some  few  musket  shots  were  still  heard  in  the  Third 
Division;  and  the  enemy's  guns,  almost  silent  since  the  advance  of  his 
infantry  until  the  moment  of  his  defeat,  were  dropping  a  few  sullen 
shells  among  friend  and  foe  upon  the  crest.  Rebellion  fosters  such 
humanity.  Near  me,  saddest  sight  of  the  many  of  such  a  field  and  not 
in  keeping  with  all  this  noise,  were  mingled  alone  the  thick  dead  of 
Maine  and  Minnesota,  and  Michigan  and  Massachusetts,  and  the  Empire 
and  the  Keystone  States,  who,  not  yet  cold,  with  the  blood  still  oozing 
from  their  death-wounds,  had  given  their  lives  to  the  country  upon  that 
stormy  field.  So  mingled  upon  that  crest  let  their  honored  graves  be. 
Look  with  me  about  us.  These  dead  have  been  avenged  already. 
Where  the  long  lines  of  the  enemy's  thousands  so  proudly  advanced 
see  how  thick  the  silent  men  of  gray  are  scattered.  It  is  not  an  hour 
since  these  legions  were  sweeping  along  so  grandly ;  now  sixteen  hundred 
of  that  fiery  mass  are  strewn  among  the  trampled  grass,  dead  as  the 
clods  they  load;  more  than  seven  thousand,  probably  eight  thousand, 
are  wounded,  some  there  with  the  dead,  in  our  hands,  some  fugitive 
far  towards  the  woods,  among  the  Generals,  Pettigrew,  Garnett, 
Kemper  and  Armistead,  the  last  three  rnortally,  and  the  last  one  in 
our  hands.  'Tell  General  Hancock,'  he  said  to  Lieutenant  Mitchell, 
Hancock's  aide-de-camp,  to  whom  he  handed  his  watch,  'that  I  know 
I  did  my  country  a  great  wrong  when  I  took  up  arms  against  her,  for 
which  I  am  sorry,  but  for  which  I  cannot  live  to  atone.'  Four  thousand 
not  wounded,  are  prisoners  of  war.  *  *  *  *  * 

"See  how  great  a  General  looked  upon  the  field  and  what  he  said 
and  did  at  the  moment,  and  when  he  learned  of  his  great  victory.  To 
appreciate  the  incident,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  one  coming 
up  from  the  rear  of  the  line,  as  did  General  Meade,  could  have  seen 
very  little  of  our  own  men,  who  had  now  crossed  the  crest,  and  although 
he  could  have  heard  the  noise,  he  could  not  have  told  its  occasion,  or 
by  whom  made,  until  he  had  actually  attained  the  crest.  One  who 
did  not  know  results,  so  coming,  would  have  been  quite  as  likely  to 
have  supposed  that  our  line  there  had  been  carried  and  captured  by 
the  enemy — so  many  gray  Rebels  were  on  the  crest — as  to  have  dis 
covered  the  real  truth.  Such  a  mistake  was  really  made  by  one  of 
our  officers,  as  I  shall  relate: 

"General  Meade  rode  up,  accompanied  alone  by  his  son,  who  is  his 
Aide-de-camp,  an  escort,  if  select,  not  large  for  a  commander  of  such  an 
army.  The  principal  horseman  was  no  bedizened  hero  of  some  holiday 
review,  but  he  was  a  plain  man,  dressed  in  a  serviceable  summer  suit 
of  dark  blue  cloth,  without  badge  or  ornament,  save  the  shoulder-straps 
of  his  grade,  and  a  light,  straight  sword  of  a  General  or  general  staff 
officer.  He  wore  heavy,  high- top  boots  and  buff  gauntlets,  and  his 


86  THE    NINETEENTH    M    INE    REGIMENT 

soft  black  felt  hat  was  slouched  down  over  his  eyes.  His  face  was 
very  white,  not  pale,  and  the  lines  were  marked  and  earnest  and  full 
of  care.  As  he  arrived  near  me,  coming  up  the  hill,  he  asked  in  a 
sharp,  eager  voice:  'How  is  it  going  here?'  'I  believe,  General,  the 
enemy's  attack  is  repulsed,'  I  answered.  Still  approaching,  and  a  new 
light  began  to  come  in  his  face,  of  gratified  surprise,  with  a  touch  of  in 
credulity,  of  which  his  voice  was  also  the  medium,  he  further  asked : 
'What!  Is  the  assault  already  repulsed?'  his  voice  quicker  and  more 
eager  than  before.  'It  is,  Sir,'  I  replied.  By  this  time  he  was  on  the 
crest,  and  when  his  eye  had  for  an  instant  swept  over  the  field,  taking 
in  just  a  glance  of  the  whole, — the  masses  of  prisoners,  the  numerous 
captured  flags  which  the  men  were  derisively  flaunting  about,  the  fugi 
tives  of  the  routed  enemy,  disappearing  with  the  speed  of  terror  in  the 
woods — partly  at  what  I  had  told  him,  partly  at  what  he  saw,  he  said 
impressively,  and  his  face  lighted :  'Thank  God.'  " 

There  were  more  men  killed  and  wounded  in  the  Second 
Corps  at  Gettysburg  than  any  other  corps  in  the  army.  The 
losses  in  the  Regiment  were  somewhat  greater  on  the  2nd  of 
July  than  on  the  3rd. 

Casualties  in  the  Regiment  at  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg 

Colonel  Francis  E.  Heath,  wounded,  shoulder,  July  3rd.  Major  James  W.  Welch, 
wounded,  scalp.  Sergeant-Major  George  A.  Wadsworth,  wounded,  head. 

COMPANY  A. 

Corporal  Abner  Baker,  wounded,  breast;  died  August  6th,  Summit  House  Hospital, 
Philadelphia.  Corporal  Payson  T.  Heald,  wounded,  arm;  died  Aug.  5,  '63,  Summit 
House  Hospital,  Phila.  Charles  W.  Collins,  killed  July  2nd. 

Sergeant  Charles  H.  Colburn,  wounded,  leg,  July  3rd.  Corporal  Gardiner  W.  Bige- 
low,  wounded,  arm,  July  2nd.  William  F.  Buker,  wounded,  hands.  Benjamin  F. 
Charles,  wounded,  leg,  July  3rd.  John  P.  Church,  wounded,  arm.  Andrew  Kennison, 
wounded  July  2nd,  leg  amputated.  Samuel  Leavitt,  wounded,  shoulder,  July  3rd. 
William  B.  Murphy,  wounded,  leg,  July  3rd.  Louis  Vigne,  wounded  July  3rd. 

COMPANY  B. 

Second  Lieutenant  Leroy  S.  Scott,  wounded  July  2nd;  died  July  13th.  Sergeant 
Edwin  A.  Howes,  killed.  Ira  Z.  Bennett,  (Battery)  killed,  July  2nd.  Frank  Coffin, 
wounded,  thigh,  July  3rd;  died  July  14th.  Job  P.  Flagg,  wounded,  breast;  died  Dec. 
2nd,  York,  Pa.  Eli  Noyes,  missing,  July  3rd;  probably  killed. 

First  Lieutenant  Elisha  W.  Ellis,  wounded,  side.  Sergeant  Bejamin  S.  Crocker, 
wounded  head.  Corporal  William  Briggs,  wounded,  ankle.  Corporal  Alvin  H.  Ellis, 
wounded,  thigh.  Corporal  Abial  Turner,  wounded,  side,  July  2.  George  F.  Chapman, 
wounded,  arm  and  side.  Orson  E.  Crummett,  wounded,  head.  Watson  Curtis,  wounded, 
hand.  William  H.  Curtis,  wounded,  side.  Willard  R.  Hardy,  wounded,  both  hands. 
Isaac  Hills,  wounded,  thigh.  William  Hubbard,  wounded,  head.  Moses  Larrabee  Jr. 
wounded.  Marshall  H.  Rand,  wounded.  Mark  L.  Whitney,  wounded,  leg,  July  2nd. 

COMPANY  C. 

Sergeant  Alexander  W.  Ix>rd,  killed.  Corporal  Christopher  Erskine,  mortally 
wounded  July  3rd;  died  July  5th.  Corporal  Gustavus  L.  Thompson,  killed.  Fred 
erick  S.  Call,  mortally  wounded;  died  Aug.  25th.  Abijah  Crosby,  wounded  July  3rd; 
died  July  8th.  George  E.  Hodgdon,  wounded  July  2nd;  died  Aug.  24th.  Elbridge 
P.  Pratt,  killed.  Joseph  P.  Woodward,  killed. 

Second  Lieutenant  Francis  H.  Foss,  wounded,  neck.  Sergeant  George  Dunbar. 
wounded,  elbow.  Sergeant  William  H.  Emery,  wounded,  head.  Sergeant  Henry  W. 
Nye,  wounded,  head  and  shoulder.  Corporal  Lindley  H.  Whittaker,  wounded.  John  B. 
Adams,  wounded,  hip  and  shoulder.  James  L.  Blethen,  wounded,  head  and  arm.  Henry 
Emery,  wounded,  foot.  Lorenzo  D.  Gilman,  wounded,  knee.  Joseph  E.  Haskell, 
wounded,  leg.  Charles  W.  Jones,  wounded,  head.  Jonathan  Lewis,  wounded,  elbow. 
Sullivan  A.  Maxim,  wounded,  leg.  Johnson  Shaw,  wounded,  foot;  amputated.  William 
Spaulding,  wounded,  arm.  Reuben  R.  Webb,  wounded,  thigh. 


THE    GETTYSBURG  CAMPAIGN  87 

COMPANY  D. 

Corporal  Robert  T.  Newell,  mortally  wounded;  died  July  9th.  Corporal  Jesse 
A.  Wilson,  mortally  wounded,  died  July  3rd.  Corporal  Alfred  P.  Waterman,  wounded 
July  2nd;  died  July  4th.  Alden  Cunningham,  killed.  Roswell  Haire,  mortally  wound 
ed;  died  July  4.  Louira  Kelley,  killed.  John  Merriam,  mortally  wounded,  died  Aug. 
25th.  James  Robbins,  killed  July  3rd.  Hushai  C.  Thomas,  mortally  wounded,  died 
July  21st. 

First  Lieutenant  Edward  R.  Cunningham,  wounded,  breast.  Sergeant  George  L. 
Starkey,  wounded  July  2nd;  leg  amputated.  Corporal  Francis  C.  Wood,  wounded,  arm. 
James  C.  Brown,  wounded,  leg.  Henry  D.  Byard,  wounded,  leg,  July  2nd.  Charles  H. 
Clements,  wounded,  July  2nd.  Horace  Dean,  wounded.  Charles  R.  Hamilton,  wound 
ed,  arm  and  fa<-e.  Henry  H.  Hartshorn,  wounded  July  3rd.  Lorenzo  W.  Hoffses, 
wounded,  legs.  Benjamin  O.  Lear,  wounded,  arm,  July  2nd.  James  Lenfest,  wounded, 
leg,  July  3rd!  Charles  A.  Murch,  wounded,  leg.  George  F.  Tufts,  wounded,  arm  and  leg. 

COMPANY  E. 

Sergeant  Enoch  C.  Dow,  killed,  Corporal  Nahum  Downs,  wounded,  leg;  died  July 
18th.  Charles  E.  Harriman,  mortally  wounded,  died  July  10th.  William  H.  Low, 
killed.  Ruel  Nickerson,  mortally  wounded,  died  July  18th. 

First  Sergeant  James  H.  Pierce,  wounded,  side.  Corporal  Collins  McCarty  Jr. 
wounded,  arm;  amputated.  Corporal  Frank  A.  Patterson,  wounded,  leg.  John  R. 
Atwood,  wounded,  leg.  William  J.  Colson,  wounded,  leg.  Joseph  G.  Cookson,  wounded, 
hand.  Leonard  Dearborn,  wounded,  hand.  John  F.  Keene,  wounded,  arm.  James  S. 
Moore,  wounded.  Fred  A.  Nickerson,  wounded,  hand.  John  E.  Nickerson,  wounded, 
leg.  Edward  B.  Sheldon,  wounded,  arm;  amputated.  Fred  L.  Waterhouse,  wounded, 
leg. 

COMPANY  F. 

First  Sergeant  Thomas  P.  Rideout,  mortally  wounded,  July  3rd;  died  July  18th. 
William  H.  Shorey,  mortally  wounded,  July  2nd;  died  July  4th. 

Captain  Isaac  W.  Starbird,  wounded,  July  3rd.  First  Lieutenant  Charles  E.  Nash, 
wounded,  leg,  July  3rd.  Second  Lieutenant  Edwin  H.  Rich,  wounded,  arm,  July  3rd. 
Lauriston  Chamberlain  (musician),  wounded,  back.  Edwin  L.  Dunnell.  wounded.  Al 
fred  Grover,  wounded,  thigh.  Calvin  B.  Keen,  wounded.  William  S.  Small,  wounded, 
arm.  John  D.  Smith,  flesh  wound,  leg,  July  3rd.  Joseph  A.  Tobey,  wounded,  face. 
George  O.  White,  wounded,  shoulder. 

COMPANY  G. 

Sergeant  Albert  N.  Williams,  mortally  wounded;  died  July  3rd.  Corporal  George 
L.  Perkins,  killed  July  2nd.  Corporal  George  W.  Andrews,  wounded  and  missing, 
July  2nd,  supposed  to  have  died.  Charles  J.  Carroll,  wounded  July  3rd,  died  July  7th. 
Elias  Tyler,  wounded  July  2nd,  died  July  14th. 

Second  Lieutenant  Henry  Sewall,  wounded,  face.  Sergeant  Edward  H.  Hicks, 
wounded,  arm  and  groin.  Corporal  Steohen  P.  McKenney,  wounded,  hands.  George  A. 
Hussey,  wounded,  hip.  William  H.  Jackman,  wounded,  side.  Amos  Jones,  wounded, 
arm.  Hampton  W.  Leighton,  wounded,  arm.  Isaac  Moody,  wounded.  Winthrop 
Murray,  wounded,  head.  William  B.  Small,  wounded,  shoulder.  Orrin  P.  Smart, 
wounded,  breast. 

COMPANY  H. 

First  Sergeant  John  F.  Stackpole,  killed.  Sergeant  Jesse  A.  Dorman,  mortally 
wounded,  died  July  6th.  Sergeant  George  E.  Webber,  mortally  wounded,  died  July 
7th.  Corporal  Hollis  F.  Arnold,  killed.  Corporal  Samuel  C.  Brookings,  killed.  Cor 
poral  George  H.  Willey,  killed.  John  H.  Estes,  wounded  leg;  missing,  supposed  to  have 
died.  William  Taylor,  killed.  James  Wyman,  killed. 

Captain  Willard  Lincoln,  wounded,  head.  First  Lieutenant  Albert  Hunter,  wound 
ed,  throat,  July  2nd.  Sergeant  Charles  P.  Garland,  wounded,  leg.  Sergeant  James  T. 
Waldron,  wounded,  thigh.  Corporal  Francis  P.  Furber,  wounded,  mouth.  Daniel  B. 
Abbott,  wounded,  side  and  arm.  Rinaldo  A.  Carr,  wounded,  thigh.  Joseph  Coro, 
wounded,  arm  and  side.  Martin  V.  B.  Dodge,  wounded,  arm  and  side.  Redford  M. 
Estes,  wounded,  leg.  William  F.  Gerald,  wounded,  thigh.  Drew  Goodridge,  wounded, 
leg.  Charles  L.  Hamlen,  wounded,  leg.  Josephus  James,  wounded,  right  leg;  amputated. 
William  Leonard,  wounded,  leg.  Charles  H.  Libby,  wounded,  leg.  Reuben  D.  Martin, 
wounded,  hip.  Luke  T.  Richardson,  wounded,  side.  Augustus  Washburn,  wounded, 
right  arm;  amputated.  George  E.  Wheeler,  wounded,  legs.  William  F.  Wood,  wounded, 
leg.  Benjamin  Young,  wounded,  neck. 

COMPANY   I. 

Captain  George  D.  Smith,  mortally  wounded,  July  2nd;  died  at  1  a.  m.  July  3rd. 
Sergeant  William  E.  Barrows,  killed.  Sergeant  Chandler  F.  Perry,  killed.  Corporal 


00  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Orrin  T.  Conway,  mortally  wounded,  leer;  died  Sept.  1st,  at  Baltimore.  John  F.  Carey, 
killed.  Francis  W.  Rhoades,  killed.  George  S.  Turner,  mortally  wounded;  died  July 
19th.  Joseph  W.  Wilson,  killed. 

Corporal  George  W.  Barter,  wounded.  Corporal  George  E.  Holmes,  wounded, 
head.  Corporal  Daniel  G.  Lamb,  wounded.  Corporal  Rufus  Shibhles  Jr.  wounded, 
hand.  Corporal  John  Vinal,  wounded,  hand.  Gorham  L.  Black,  wounded.  Hiram 
Clapp,  wounded.  Luther  Clark,  wounded.  Adrian  C.  Dodge,  wounded,  cheek.  Alden 
W.  Dyer,  wounded,  shoulder.  Edwin  S.  Jacobs,  wounded,  headK  Thomas  Little, 
wounded,  leg.  Joseph  G.  Maddox,  wounded,  arm.  James  P.  Mills,  wounded,  leg. 
Joseph  H.  Norton,  wounded.  Amos  B.  Oxton,  wounded,  hand. 

COMPANY  K. 

Sergeant  William  Boyton  Jr.  killed.  Sergeant  George  L.  Grant,  wounded  July  3rd; 
died  November  5th.  George  P.  Fogler,  killed.  Nelson  Francis,  killed.  James  T. 
Heal,  mortally  wounded;  died  July  8th.  James  H.  Lewis,  killed.  Charles  M.  Lowe, 
killed.  Charles  E.  McAvoy,  killed.  Oliver  P.  Nichols,  killed.  Loring  C.  Oliver, 
mortally  wounded;  died  July  20th.  Samuel  B.  Shea,  mortally  wounded;  died  July  20th, 
Henry  N.  Williams,  mortally  wounded,  died  July  18th.  i 

Second  Lieutenant  Samuel  E.  Bucknarp,  wounded,  leg.  Corporal  Warren  Proctor, 
wounded,  groin.  Corporal  Weld  Sargent,  wounded,  arm.  Corporal  Stephen  P.  Trafton. 
wounded,  leg.  Richard  M.  Blaisdell,  wounded,  leg.  Edwin  Blake,  wounded,  hand. 
Ezekiel  L.  Dunton,  wounded,  leg.  Alvah  Jellison,  wounded,  thigh.  George  A.  Kimball, 
wounded,  foot.  David  C.  Lombard,  wounded,  arm,  amputated.  Calvin  E.  Marr, 
wounded,  foot,  William  McKenney,  wounded,  breast.  Isaac  W.  Mitchell,  wounded, 
hand.  Jesse  Mitchell,  wounded,  shoulder.  Simmons  A.  Mitchell,  wounded,  back. 
Addison  Sawyer,  wounded,  hand.  Thomas  E.  Scott,  wounded,  leg;  amputated.  Gil- 
man  N.  Varell,  wounded,  legs.  Lorenzo  Webster,  wounded. 


RECAPITULATION 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded 67 

Wounded,  not  fatally 149 

Total  loss 2 1 6 

(F.  It  was  not  believed  that  all  the  members  of  the  Regiment 
who  were  wounded  during  the  battle  would  recover  from  their 
wounds.  Among  these  were  Captain  George  D.  Smith,  who 
was  wounded  on  the  afternoon  of  July  2nd.  He  lingered  until 
one  o'clock  the  next  morning,  when  he  died.  In  the  same  class 
with  Captain  Smith  were  Corporal  Christopher  Erskine,  Com 
pany  C,  Corporal  Jesse  A.  Wilson,  Corporal  Alfred  B.  Waterman 
and  Private  Roswell  Haire,  Company  D;  Private  William  H. 
Shorey,  Company  F,  and  Sergeant  Jesse  A.  Dorman,  Company 
H.f>  Reports  brought  back  from  the  hospital  indicated  that 
these  men  would  probably  die  as  a  result  of  their  wounds.  It 
was  believed,  however,  that  the  following  named  boys  stood 
some  chance  for  recovery:  Corporals  Payson  T.  Heald  and 
Abner  Baker,  Company  A;  Privates  Frank  Coffin  and  Job  P. 
Flagg,  Company  B;  Privates  Frederick  S.  Call,  Abijah  Crosby 
and  George  E.  Hodgdon,  Company  C;  Lieutenant  Leroy  S.  Scott, 


**>/  /4$$mf' 


FronVMAINE    AT    GETTYSBURG" 


Regimental   Monument,   Gettysburg. 


THE    GETTYSBURG    CAMPAIGN 


89 


Corporal  Robert  T.  Newell  and  Privates  John  Merriam  and 
Hushai  C.  Thomas,  Company  D;  Corporal  Nahum  Downs  and 
Privates  Charles  E.  Harriman  and  Ruel  Nickerson,  of  Company 
E;  First  Sergeant  Thomas  T.  Rideout,  Company  F;  Privates 
Charles  J.  Carroll  and  Elias  Tyler,  Company  G;  Sergeant 
George  E.  Webber,  Company  H;  Corporal  Orrin  T.  Conway, 
and  Private  George  S.  Turner,  Company  I;  and  Sergeant 
George  L.  Grant  and  Privates  Loring  C.  Oliver,  Henry  N. 
Williams  and  Samuel  B.  Shea,  Company  K.  But  all  these 
men  died  sometime  after  the  battle  and  their  deaths  were 
caused  by  wounds  received  in  battle.  It  was  supposed  that 
Eli  Noyes,  of  Company  B,  Corporal  George  W.  Andrews, 
Company  G,  and  John  H.  Estes,  Company  H,  were  killed  in  the 
charge  with  the  Regiment  made  in  the  late  afternoon  of  July 
2nd,  as  they  were  never  seen  by  the  members  of  the  Regi 
ment  after  that  time. 

Of  the  boys  who  were  wounded  at  Gettysburg  and  after 
recovery  returned  to  the  Regiment,  many  of  them  were  wounded 
again,  some  were  taken  prisoners  and  still  others  killed  or 
mortally  wounded  in  battle.  William  B.  Murphy,  Company  A, 
was  killed  in  the  Wilderness.  Orson  E.  Crummett,  Company 
B,  was  mortally  wounded  at  Spottsylvania.  George  F.  Tufts, 
Company  D,  was  killed  in  the  Wilderness.  William  J.  Colson 
and  Fred  A.  Nickerson,  Company  E,  were  killed  at  Spottsyl 
vania,  and  John  E.  Nickerson,  of  the  same  company,  was  killed 
in  the  Wilderness.  Martin  V.  B.  Dodge  and  Luke  T.  Richard 
son,  Company  H,  were  killed  at  Spottsylvania,  and  William  F. 
Wood,  also  of  Company  H,  was  killed  in  the  Wilderness.  Cor 
poral  George  E.  Holmes,  of  Company  I,  and  Weld  Sargeant, 
Company  K,  were  both  mortally  wounded  at  Spottsylvania. 

The  Second  Corps  collected  upon  the  battlefield  of  Gettys 
burg  6,000  stand  of  small  arms.  Notwithstanding  the  fierceness 
of  the  battle  and  the  ferocity  of  the  Confederate  charges,  the 
Second  Army  Corps  never  lost  a  gun. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  4th,  General  Lee  proposed 
to  General  Meade,  through  a  flag  of  truce,  an  exchange  of  pris 
oners  captured  by  the  two  armies.  General  Meade  promptly 
replied  that  it  was  not  in  his  power  to  accede  to  Lee's  proposa. 


9°  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

TOTAL  CASUALTIES  OF  THE  BATTLE 

Killed  and  Missing  Total 

wounded  Loss 

Union 17,555  5,435  22,990 

Confederates.. (as  reported)    15,298  5,150  20,448 

The  Confederate  reports  are  known  to  have  been  grossly 
inaccurate  in  many  particulars.  There  were  12,227  wounded 
and  unwounded  Confederates  captured,  according  to  the  list 
on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General  in  Washington, 
where  the  names  of  prisoners  and  the  organization  to  which 
they  belonged,  are  recorded.  That  record  should  be  relied 
upon  rather  than  the  imperfect  estimates  made  by  the  Con 
federate  officers.  The  Confederate  loss  must  have  been  about 
30,000. 

Sergeant  Samuel  Smith,  of  Company  F,  in  describing  the 
wounding  of  the  Orderly  Sergeant  of  that  Company,  writes: 

"No  better  soldier  nor  one  more  highly  esteemed  by  his  comrades 
ever  lived  in  the  State  of  Maine  than  First  Sergeant  Thomas  T.  Ride- 
out,  of  Company  F.  While  we  were  making  the  flank  movement  to 
the  right  at  the  time  of  Pickett's  charge,  he  fell  by  my  side.  When 
he  fell,  I  stopped  and  asked  him  where  he  was  hit.  His  reply  was 
'I  am  hit  in  the  back.'  He  was  lying  in  a  very  exposed  position  and 
I  laid  down  my  gun  and  took  hold  of  his  shoulders  and  dragged  him 
about  one  rod  and  behind  a  large  boulder,  which  would  shield  him 
somewhat  from  further  danger  from  bullets  which  were  singing  about 
there  pretty  lively  at  the  time.  I  then  picked  up  my  own  gun  and 
rejoined  the  Company.  Sergeant  Rideout  was  taken  later  to  the 
field  hospital,  where  I  visited  him  after  the  battle.  There  I  found  him 
shot  through  the  lungs,  the  bullet  lodging  in  his  shoulder,  where  he 
first  felt  it  and  thought  he  was  hit  in  the  back.  He  was  cheerful  at  the 
time  and  fully  expected  to  recover  and  live  to  go  home.  When  I  saw 
the  Surgeon  in  charge  of  the  hospital,  he  informed  me  that  Rideout 
could  not  live.  I  afterward  learned  that  he  died  about  fifteen  days 
after  he  was  wounded." 

When  General  Hancock  was  wounded  in  the  afternoon  of 
July  3rd,  he  immediately  sent  for  the  gallant  General  Caldwell 
and  turned  over  to  that  officer  the  command  of  the  Second 
Corps.  General  Gibbon  had  been  wounded  and  General  Cald 
well  was  then  the  ranking  officer  in  the  Corps.  He  had  done 
great  work  in  the  Wheat  Field  on  the  day  before,  to  minimize 
the  evil  effects  of  Sickles'  false  line  out  on  the  Emmitsburg 
road.  Two  of  his  Brigade  commanders,  Zook  and  Cross,  had 
been  killed,  and  the  awful  record  of  the  losses  in  his  Division 


THE    GETTYSBURG    CAMPAIGN  9! 

show  how  well  Caldwell's  men  did  their  work.  But  alas,  he 
had  not  been  educated  at  West  Point!  With  "irascibility  and 
pigheadedness"  so  characteristic  of  him,  Meade  would  not  per 
mit  General  Caldwell  to  assume  honors  so  richly  deserved. 
He  appointed  General  William  Hays  to  command  the  Corps, 
and  Hays  retained  the  command  a  little  over  a  month,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  General  Warren.  Hays  had  never  com 
manded  more  than  a  brigade,  and  that  was  at  Chancellorsville. 
He  had  generally  been  connected  with  the  artillery  branch  of 
the  service.  There  was  no  reason,  apparent  to  anybody, 
except  Meade's  dislikes  and  prejudices,  why  Hays  should  have 
been  thus  honored.  On  one  other  occasion  Meade  had  the 
opportunity  of  boosting  Hays  into  prominence,  when  in  Feb 
ruary,  '65,  Gibbon  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the 
Twenty-fourth  Army  Corps.  He  then  crowded  Hays  into  the 
command  of  our  Division  for  a  couple  of  months. 

On  July  4th  there  was  occasionally  skirmish  firing  and 
reconnoitering  in  different  directions.  The  enemy  had  with 
drawn  from  the  right  of  our  position  and  our  boys  were  occupy 
ing  Gettysburg.  An  order  was  issued  late  in  the  day  for  a 
detail  to  be  made  from  all  of  the  regiments  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  the  arms  and  burying  the  Confederate  dead  in  the 
vicinity  of  our  lines.  All  day  during  the  4th,  information  was 
frequently  conveyed  from  the  signal  station  to  army  head 
quarters  that  the  enemy  were  retiring.  On  the  night  of  the 
4th,  Hill's  Corps  started  for  Hagerstown,  via  Fairfield  and 
Waynesborough,  followed  by  Longstreet's  Corps.  Ewell's 
Corps  did  not  take  up  its  march  until  near  noon  on  the  5th, 
although  his  troops  were  withdrawn  several  miles  from  their 
former  line  of  battle.  Ewell  followed  Longstreet  and  en 
camped  the  night  of  the  5th  about  a  mile  west  of  Fairfield. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  4th,  the  Confederate  wagon-trains 
and  ambulances,  filled  with  wounded,  started  south,  going 
mostly  by  the  Cashtown  road,  but  some  by  the  Fairfield  route 
through  the  mountains,  toward  Hagerstown.  Our  cavalry 
struck  one  of  these  wagon-trains  about  half  way  between  Fair- 
field  and  Waynesborough  at  a  place  called  Monterey  Pass,  de 
stroying  many  wagons  and  capturing  a  number  of  prisoners. 


92  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

It  was  evident  that  General  Meade  did  not  intend  to  pur 
sue  very  vigorously  or  attack  the  enemy  if  he  could  avoid  it. 
On  the  5th  of  July,  Sedgwick  had  been  ordered  out  on  a  recon- 
noissance  and  was  vigorously  following  up  the*  Confederate 
column.  He  shelled  their  rear  guard  and  captured  some  prison 
ers.  Some  time  during  the  day  of  the  5th,  General  Meade, 
through  General  Butterfield,  his  Chief-of-Staff,  sent  an  order 
to  Sedgwick,  containing  the  following  language:  "General 
Birney  reports  a  column  of  infantry  moving  to  his  left  and  asks 
permission  to  fire  upon  it  with  artillery.  This  has  been  denied, 
he  having  gone  out  about  two  miles  beyond  the  line  of  rifle 
pits  occupied  by  the  enemy  yesterday.  It  is  not  the  intention 
of  the  General  to  bring  on  an  engagement,  and  therefore  he 
does  not  understand  your  application  for  your  ordnance  train 
to  be  sent  you.  The  orders  for  a  reconoissance  were  with  a 
view  to  ascertain  the  position  and  movement  of  the  enemy, 
not  for  battle."  Yet  early  in  the  morning  of  the  5th  Meade  had 
been  informed  by  his  signal  officers  that  there  were  no  indica 
tions  of  the  enemy  anywhere,  except  a  small  force  on  the  Cash- 
town  road.  It  would  seem  as  though  a  splendid  opportunity 
was  presented  to  the  commander  of  the  army  to  attack  the 
enemy  on  July  4th  and  again  on  the  morning  of  July  5th,  when 
he  would  have  found  only  Ewell  to  fight.  It  was  such  an 
opportunity  as  would  have  been  improved  by  Sheridan  or 
Hancock. 

New  York  sent  about  twenty  regiments  of  its  National 
Guards  and  Pennsylvania  nearly  forty  regiments  of  emergency 
men  and  militia  to  aid  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  repelling 
Lee's  invasion.  The  most  of  these  regiments  went  to  Harris- 
burg  and  down  on  the  west  side  of-the  mountains.  They  had 
no  more  influence  on  the  campaign  than  did  Heintzelman's 
40,000  soldiers  in  and  around  the  defenses  of  Washington.  The 
reports  of  the  officers  of  these  emergency  troops  furnish  enter 
taining  reading.  There  were  Brigadier-Generals  and  Aids-de 
camp,  sufficient  to  supply  the  whole  army.  A  requisition  hav 
ing  been  made  on  one  of  the  regiments  at  Harrisburg  for  a 
detail  of  seventy-five  men  for  chopping  wood  and  constructing 
intrenchments,  the  Colonel  refused  to  furnish  the  men,  giving 


THE    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  93 

as  a  reason  that  "they  had  been  broken  of  their  rest  for  two 
nights."  The  Colonel  of  a  Pennsylvania  organization  informs 
his  superior  officer  that  because  of  illness  he  was  compelled  to 
stop  at  a  house  by  the  wayside,  accompanied  by  his  "servants." 
One  officer  reports  the  hardship  of  his  regiment  in  being  com 
pelled,  on  a  July  night,  to  ride  "in  open  cars  exposed  to  the  night 
air !"  To  cap  the  climax,  the  Colonel  of  the  aristocratic  Seventh 
New  York  State  National  Guards,  complains  that  his  men 
"had  not  changed  their  underclothing  for  a  period  of  eleven 
days."  Surely  such  hardships  and  sacrifices  as  these  ought  to 
be  remembered  by  a  grateful  country! 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  5th,  the  Nineteenth  Maine 
with  other  regiments  began  the  work  of  collecting  arms  and 
accoutrements,  scattered  over  the  field  and  burying  the  Con 
federate  dead,  on  that  part  of  the  battlefield  in  our  immediate 
front.  Ditches  were  dug  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  long,  six 
feet  wide  and  from  four  to  six  feet  deep.  The  hapless  Con 
federates  were  dragged  to  these  ditches,  into  which  they  were 
piled  one  upon  another,  until  the  bodies  nearly  filled  the  ditches. 
Then  they  would  be  covered  over  with  dirt,  heaped  up  on  top. 
Some  of  the  bodies  having  lain  upon  the  ground  since  the  2nd 
of  the  month,  exposed  to  the  hot  rays  of  a  July  sun,  were  badly 
decomposed,  and  the  stench  from  the  battlefield  was  something 
fearful.  The  bodies  of  Union  soldiers  were  buried  in  separ 
ate  graves  and  each  grave  marked  with  the  name  and  organ 
ization  to  which  the  soldier  belodged.  When  that  informa 
tion  could  not  be  obtained,  the  grave  was  marked  with  that 
distressing  word,  "Unknown."  Visitors  from  different  cities 
were  crowding  in  and  wandering  over  different  parts  of  the 
battlefield.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  our  Regiment 
started  and  marched  about  six  miles  on  the  Baltimore  turnpike 
and  went  into  camp  at  a  place  called  Two  Taverns.  Here  we 
drew  rations,  washed  up  and  rested  over  July  6th.  On  the  jth 
we  marched  to  Taneytown,  where  we  bivouacked  that  night. 
The  march  of  July  8th,  carried  the  Regiment  through  Woods- 
boro  to  within  five  miles  of  Frederick  City.  It  rained  all  day 
and  was  an  extremely  hard  march.  The  distance  covered  was 
about  twenty  miles. 


94  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

While  on  the  march  from  Gettsyburg  to  Frederick,  we 
received  the  news  of  the  capture  of  Vicksburg.  This  was  the 
occasion  of  much  jubilation  on  the  part  of  the  boys  of  the  Regi 
ment.  On  July  9th  the  Regiment  marched  frorfi  the  vicinity 
of  Frederick  to  Rohrersville,  a  distance  of  some  twenty  miles. 
When  we  had  reached  a  point  a  little  west  of  Frederick,  we  saw 
on  the  north  side  of  the  road  the  body  of  a  Confederate  spy 
hanging  to  the  limb  of  a  tree.  This  man  had  been  captured  by 
some  of  our  troops  in  advance  of  us  with  evidences  of  his  guilt 
upon  his  person,  and  he  was  immediately  strung  up  without 
much  ceremony.  It  was  a  ghastly  sight.  On  July  loth  we 
marched  across  Antietam  creek  north  of  Sharpsburg,  some 
twelve  or  fourteen  miles,  to  near  Tilghmanton.  Here  we  built 
a  line  of  breastworks.  On  the  i  ith  of  July  we  moved  north  a 
few  miles  and  formed  in  line  of  Battle  with  the  Fifth  Corps  on 
our  right  and  the  Twelfth  on  our  left.  We  were  now  near 
Jones'  cross-roads.  Here  the  road  from  Williamsport  crossed 
the  Sharpsburg  turnpike.  This  was  a  beautiful  country.  The 
Regiment  stacked  arms  and  rested  at  this  place  until  about 
twelve  o'clock  at  night.  We  were  then  ordered  into  line  and 
marched  north  about  three  miles  toward  Hagerstown.  No  one 
seemed  to  know  how  far  we  were  going.  The  column  came  to 
a  halt  without  orders.  The  men  began  to  drop  in  the  road  just 
where  they  stood  and  soon  every  man  was  asleep.  The  writer 
recalls  awaking  at  early  dawn  and  as  far  as  he  could  see  north 
and  south  the  road  was  full  of  sleeping  men.  He  went  to  a 
nearby  farmhouse,  procured  a  quart  of  milk  and  had  a  sump 
tuous  breakfast,  consisting  of  hard  bread  and  milk.  Soon  ajter 
sunrise  the  Regiment  with  the  Corps  marched  back  south  a 
short  distance  and  built  a  strong  line  of  works.  We  remained 
here  all  this  day  and  the  next,  expecting  to  be  ordered  forward 
to  attack  the  enemy.  On  the  night  of  the  i3th  General  Lee 
managed  to  escape  and  recross  the  Potomac.  Our  Regiment 
with  the  Corps  then  marched  across  Marsh  creek,  which  ran 
midway  between  the  two  lines  of  battle,  across  the  Confederate 
works,  now  deserted,  through  Downsville  and  nearly  to  Falling 
Waters  on  the  Potomac.  The  bulk  of  Lee's  army  crossed  the 
river  at  Falling  Waters  and  a  small  portion  of  their  rear  guard 


THE    GETTYSBURG    CAMPAIGN  95 

was  captured  by  our  cavalry  under  Buford,  Kilpatrick  and 
Custer.  General  Merritt  got  up  in  time  to  take  the  advance 
before  the  enemy  had  entirely  crossed  and  captured  more 
prisoners.  The  enemy's  bridge  was  protected  by  cannon  well 
located  on  the  Virginia  side  and  sharpshooters  along  the  south 
ern  bank  of  the  Potomac.  As  our  troops  neared  the  bridge, 
the  enemy  cut  the  Maryland  side  loose,  and  the  bridge  swung  to 
the  Virginia  side.  This  ended  the  Gettysburg  campaign. 

On  the  next  day  the  Regiment  marched  through  Downs- 
vine  and  Sharpsburg,  by  the  Antietam  Iron  Works  and  then 
took  the  towpath  of  the  canal.  This  made  fine  marching  the 
balance  of  the  day.  We  covered  twenty  miles  and  bivouacked 
within  two  miles  of  Harper's  Ferry.  The  next  day  we  proceeded 
a  short  distance  below  Harper's  Ferry  to  Sandy  Hook  on  the 
Potomac  and  went  into  camp.  The  scenery  on  this  day's 
march  was  grand. 

Sergeant  Silas  Adams  makes  the  following  comment  on 
our  failure  to  attack  Lee's  army  after  the  battle  of  Gettsburg: — 

"It  will  be  noticed  that  our  army  did  not  follow  the  Rebel  army 
from  Gettysburg.  I  do  not  know  why,  unless  General  Meade  enter 
tained  fears  of  overtaking  it.  So  we  went  around,  taking  a  circuitous 
route  and  travelling  nearly  double  the  distance  necessary  to  reach 
Falling  Waters.  We  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Antietam  on  the  10th  of 
July.  It  was  here  for  three  days  that  the  manoeuvres  of  the  Potomac 
Army  were  inexplicable  to  a  man  untutored  in  military  science.  We 
formed  line  of  battle;  we  reconnoitred;  we  built  breastworks  and 
covered  them  with  shocks  of  wheat.  We  puzzled  over  the  matter 
and  inquired  what  we  were  waiting  there  for.  At  the  end  of  three  days 
we  found  out,  when  Lee's  army  was  safely  lodged  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Potomac.  We  had  been  playing  and  threatening  fight  until  the 
Rebs  got  away.  To  say  that  the  army  was  mad  and  disgusted  is 
putting  it  very  mildly.  We  felt  that  through  incompetency  on  our 
side,  Lee  had  been  permitted  to  escape.  Every  man  then  knew  that 
we  must  travel  over  the  old  ground  again  and  that  our  great  victory 
at  Gettysburg  was  in  a  great  measure  lost.  So  far  since  the  organiza 
tion  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  incompetency  had  been  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  features  in  its  management.  The  ten  days  im 
mediately  following  Gettysburg  did  not  vary  the  custom." 

Some  think  President  Lincoln's  summing  up  of  the  situ 
ation  and  his  conservative  criticism  of  General  Meade  as  fair  as 
anything  that  has  been  said  or  written.  His  statement  is  con 
tained  in  a  letter  prepared  for  but  never  sent  to  General  Meade 


9  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

upon  the  very  day  when  the  Confederate  army  made  its  escape 
into  Virginia.     It  is  as  follows:— 

"I  have  just  seen  your  dispatch  to  General  Halleck  asking  to  be 
relieved  of  your  command  because  of  a  formal  censure* of  mine.  I  am 
very,  very  grateful  to  you  for  the  magnificent  success  you  gave  the  cause 
of  the  country  at  Gettsburg;  and  I  am  sorry  now  to  be  the  author  of 
the  slightest  pain  to  you.  But  I  was  in  such  deep  distress  myself  that 
I  could  not  restrain  some  expression  of  it.  I  have  been  oppressed 
nearly  ever  since  the  battle  at  Gettysburg,  by  what  appeared  to  be 
evidences  that  yourself  and  General  Couch  and  General  Smith  were  not 
seeking  a  collision  with  the  enemy,  but  were  trying  to  get  him  across 
the  river  without  another  battle.  What  these  evidences  were,  if  you 
please,  I  hope  to  tell  you  at  some  time  when  we  shall  both  feel  better. 
"The  case,  summarily  stated, is  this:  you  fought  and  beat  the  enemy 
at  Gettysburg,  and,  of  course,  to  say  the  least,  his  loss  was  as  great  as 
yours.  He  retreated,  and  you  did  not,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  pressingly 
pursue  him ;  but  a  flood  of  the  river  detained  him,  till  by  slow  degrees 
you  were  again  upon  him.  You  had  at  least  twenty  thousand  veteran 
troops  directly  with  you,  and  as  many  more  raw  ones  within  supporting 
distance,  all  in  addition  to  those  who  fought  with  you  at  Gettysburg, 
while  it  was  not  possible  that  he  had  received  a  single  recruit;  and  yet 
you  stood  and  let  the  flood  run  down,  bridges  be  built,  and  the  enemy 
move  away  at  his  leisure  without  attacking  him.  And  Couch  and 
Smith — the  latter  left  Carlisle  in  time,  upon  all  ordinary  calculations 
to  have  aided  you  in  the  last  battle  of  Gettysburg,  but  he  did  not 
arrive.  At  the  end  of  more  than  ten  days,  I  believe  twelve,  under 
constant  urging,  he  reached  Hagerstown  from  Carlisle,  which  is  not  an 
inch  over  fifty-five  miles,  if  so  much,  and  Couch's  movement  was  very 
little  different. 

"Again,  my  dear  General,  I  do  not  believe  you  appreciate  the 
magnitude  of  the  misfortune  involved  in  Lee's  escape.  He  was  within 
your  easy  grasp,  and  to  have  closed  upon  him  would,  in  connection 
with  our  other  late  successes,  have  ended  the  war.  As  it  is,  the  war 
will  be  prolonged  indefinitely.  If  you  could  not  safely  attack  Lee  last 
Monday,  how  can  you  possibly  do  so  south  of  the  river,  when  you  can 
take  with  you  very  few  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  force  you  then  had 
in  hand?  It  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect,  and  I  do  not  expect 
(that)  you  can  now  effect  much.  Your  golden  opportunity  is  gone,  and 
I  am  immeasurably  distressed  because  of  it.  I  beg  you  will  not  con 
sider  this  as  a  prosecution  .or  persecution  of  yourself.  As  you  have 
learned  that  I  was  dissatisfied  I  thought  it  best  to  kindly  tell  you  why." 

The  following  letter  from  Captain  Charles  E.  Nash  was 
written  from  Warrenton  Junction,  July  29th,  1863. 

"After  participating  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  Burnside  and 
Hooker  campaigns,  we  took  the  'back  track'  and  proceeded  toward 
the  north  star  as  far  as  Gettysburg,  reaching  this  place  just  as  the 
marauding  Confederates  were  emerging  from  the  mountains.  *  * 

"We  knew  a  great  battle  was  to  take  place  here,  and  felt  hope 
ful  that  victory  would  be  ours.  The  whole  army  was  present,  and 
therefore  co-operation  (a  lack  of  which  has  defeated  us  too  many 
times)  would  take  place.  No  jars,  no  mismanagement  so  perceptible 
to  even  ordinary  digits  in  the  preliminaries  of  former  battles,  could  be 


THE   GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGN  97 

seen  or  felt.  I  will  state,  by  the  way,  that  men  wearing  "stars"  on 
their  shoulders,  are  not  always  celestial  beings,  and  that  there  has  been 
a  time  when  a  battle  line  could  be  formed  out  of  very  poor  generals. 
That  quality,  however,  is  rapidly  disppearing  from  the  field,  to  be 
known  in  the  future  only  as  they  display  their  gay  and  costly  equip 
ages  on  civic  holiday  occasions. 

"The  fight  of  Wednesday  was  not  a  general  one.  The  main  army 
had  not  arrived.  Wednesday  night  the  Second  Corps  bivouacked  two 
miles  from  the  field, — the  others  were  near  by.  Thursday  morning 
at  daybreak  all  hands  "fell  in,"  after  partaking  of  a  short  ration  of 
hard  bread  and  pork  and  moved  slowly  and  solemnly  to  the  border  of 
the  future  battlefield.  The  Second  is  called  a  "fighting  Corps,"  and 
has  left  on  battlefields  more  men  than  its  ranks  now  contain,  but  all 
conscious  of  the  terrible  ordeal  marked  out  for  the  day.  It  moves 
firmly  and  resolutely.  All  was  silence  in  the  early  morning  save  the 
confused  tramping  of  feet,  and  the  rumbling  of  long  trains  of  ambul- 
lances  in  the  distance,  as  they  uncoiled  from  their  posts  and  moved 
along  with  the  column.  The  thought  that  some  of  our  number  would 
occupy  them,  mangled  and  bleeding,  before  night,  could  not  be  re 
pressed.  The  certainty  was  too  apparent.  And  many  of  our  number 
were  never  to  behold  another  day.  Who  would  it  be,  was  the  natural 
reflection.  The  summer  morning,  so  peaceful  and  beautiful,  would 
soon  be  marred  by  the  wild  commotion  of  battle,  and  the  little  birds 
in  the  trees  by  the  roadside,  singing  tiny  melodies,  would  soon  be 
frightened  away,  when  streaming  shells  and  shrieks  of  wounded  and 
dying  come  borne  through  the  air.  At  last  we  halt  by  the  center  of 
the  line  of  battle.  The  fences  and  walls  are  torn  down,  the  better 
to  facilitate  the  rapid  movements  of  the  troops  when  called  for.  Soon 
the  troops  return  to  their  stacks  of  arms,  and  rest  a  little,  for  their 
recent  march  of  200  miles  does  not  leave  them  in  a  very  nimble  state. 
Their  faces  are  pale  and  haggard,  their  clothing  is  worn  and  covered 
with  mud,  but  a  quiet  self  possession  and  determination  possessed 
every  man.  Across  the  narrow  field,  not  a  mile  distant,  stand  the  re 
solute  legions  of  Lee,  flushed  with  their  success  on  the  previous  day. 
'Every  man  be  sure  that  his  cartridges  are  all  right'  is  passed  through 
the  ranks  by  the  officers,  and  all  heed  the  caution.  Soon  one  of 
Howard's  batteries  begin  to  shell  the  Rebel  lines,  but  receive  no  res 
ponse.  For  a  long  time  nothing  could  be  got  out  of  them, — not  even 
the  monosyllable  of  a  shot, — and  doubts  began  to  arise  about  their 
willingness  to  fight  us  at  all.  The  men  began  to  build  little  fires  and 
make  themselves  coffee,  officers  were  lounging  in  groups,  and  an  air  of 
security  and  indifference  seemed  to  pervade  the  hour.  Suddenly — 
boom  boom  boom  — with  shrieking  shells,  and  their  whistling,  buz 
zing  fragments  filled  the  air,  as  a  Rebel  battery  opened  on  us.  Thick 
volumes  of  smoke  indicate  clearly  their  well  chosen  position.  'Lie 
down,  men'  is  the  command,  which  is  very  readily  obeyed.  The 
shells  come  thick  and  fast, — some  high  in  the  air,  some  bounding 
along  the  ground,  some  far  to  the  right, — some  as  far  to  the  left, — and 
bursting,  scattering  their  deadly  fragments  in  every  direction.  'Look 
out!  Look  out!'  and  down  dodged  several  thousand  heads  to  escape 
some  ball,  bouncing  along  the  ground,  which  some  one  has  seen,  and 
therefore  makes  the  precautionary  exclamation.  But  the  deadly 
missile  has  no  good  message ;  forward  it  plows,  through  the  ranks,  cut 
ting  several  in  twain,  breaking  limbs  and  mangling  many  more. 
Hundreds  witness  the  sad  sight,  and  soon  the  slightly  wounded  hobble 
to  the  rear  and  the  dead  are  removed  tenderly  to  a  short  distance  out 
of  the  way.  Hospitals  were  here  established,  opposite  each  regiment, 


98  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

by  displaying  a  little  scarlet  flag.  The  surgeons  with  their  implements 
are  in  readiness.  The  men  are  ready  to  seize  their  arms  and  jump 
into  line  in  an  instant.  The  horses  have  been  sent  to  the  rear.  Sharp 
volleys  of  musketry  resound  on  both  sides.  The  Third  and  First 
Corps  are  on  our  left  and  right,  respectively,  and  in  the  course  of  an 
hour  the  musketry  and  artillery  are  hard  at  it.  The*  long,  unceasing 
rattle  of  musketry,  like  the  treble  of  a  musical  instrument,  seems  to 
be  supported  by  the  hoarse  heavy  bass  of  artillery.  'Tw.as  thus  for 
upwards  of  two  hours,  at  which  time  Gen.  Hancock  rode  along  the  line, 
wearing  a  troubled  face.  We  had  been  silent  spectators  all  day.  The 
Second  Corps,  but  few  in  number,  had  been  held  as  reserve,  but  had 
suffered  considerable  from  shells  and  shot.  Gen.  Hancock  had  ex 
clusive  charge  of  the  First,  Second  and  Third  Corps,  Gen.  Meade  having 
bestowed  that  honor  and  responsibility  upon  him.  'Into  line,  Col. 
Into  line!'  was  the  command  of  Col.  Ward,  our  Brigade  commander, 
and  in  an  instant  the  Brigade  was  on  its  feet,  ready  to  do  or  die. 
The  Nineteenth  Maine  was  placed  beside  a  battery,  to  support  it,  and 
to  hold  its  portion  of  the  line,  as  the  Third  Corps  had  been  driven  back 
across  the  field,  and  was  retiring  in  haste.  The  enemy  was  com- 

Eletely  frantic  with  victory,  and  advanced  impetuously.  'Commence 
ring  '  was  the  command,  when  they  were  seventy  yards  distant, 
and  almost  instantly  a  deadly  sheet  of  fire  was  poured  into  them. 
Through  the  thick  smoke  we  could  dimly  see  them  advancing,  but 
slowly  and  hesitatingly,  for  in  the  space  of  five  minutes  their  strong 
line  had  melted  away,  and  there  were  only  a  few  daring  spirits  left 
to  encounter.  Our  fire  had  been  deadly;  every  shot  had  apparently 
done  its  duty.  And  when,  with  bayonets  fixed,  the  command  'For 
ward,'  was  given,  onward  dashed  all  that  was  left  of  the  Nineteenth, 
while  cheer  upon  cheer  rose  far  above  the  din  of  musketry  and  artillery. 
The  enemy  scampered  in  every  direction,  many  throwing  up  their  hands 
as  a  token  of  surrender,  and  others  hiding  behind  rocks  and  bushes  to 
escape  the  fury  of  the  charge,  and  afterwards  coming  into  our  lines. 
Only  a  few  ever  reached  their  own  lines. 

"The  victory  of  the  day  was  decisive.  The  First  Brigade  of  the 
'Iron  Division'  was  the  first  to  see  the  backs  of  the  enemy,  and  the 
Nineteenth  was  the  first  Regiment  to  occupy  and  gain  full  possession 
of  the  field.  It  assisted  in  the  recapture  of  two  pieces  of  artillery 
which  the  enemy  were  too  panic-stricken  to  take  away,  besides  send 
ing  many  prisoners  to  the  rear.  But  sad  was  the  spectacle  around  us. 
The  dead  and  dying  covered  the  ground;  and  the  wild  cries  for  help, the 
beseeching  exclamations,  the  dismal  groans,  and  broken  prayers, 
mingled  with  the  dying  echoes  of  thunder  in  that  ever  memorable 
twilight.  Presently  it  was  dark,  and  we  returned  from  the  field, 
picking  the  way  so  as  to  avoid  tramping  upon  the  wounded  and  dead. 
The  repulse  of  the  enemy  had  been  complete,  but  it  was  certain  they 
would  renew  the  contest  in  the  morning.  The  wounded  were  removed 
as  rapidly  as  possible.  A  few  of  the  dead  were  buried,  but  chiefly  pre 
parations  were  being  made  for  the  morrow.  Fresh  supplies  of  ammunition 
were  distributed  to  the  batteries,  and  sixty  rounds  were  furnished  to 
each  soldier.  Dead  horses  and  broken  caissons  were  removed,  and 
every  preparation  was  made  to  receive  an  attack  at  daylight.  Soon 
all  was  quiet,  and  the  silence  was  broken  only  by  the  shrieks  and  cries, 
borne  through  the  smoky  atmosphere,  and  ever  and  anon  a  stray 
picket-shot.  The  weary  men  at  last  slept  soundly,  forgetful  of  the 
terrible  scenes  of  the  day,  and  the  ungathered  harvest  of  death  strewn 
around  them.  Morning  dawned  upon  a  heart-sickening  scene,  as 
the  first  faint  streaks  slanted  from  the  east.  Generals  accompanied 


THE    GETTYSBURG    CAMPAIGN  99 

by  their  escorts  could  be  seen  riding  along  the  line,  perfecting  the  pro 
gram  for  the  day.  The  men  awoke,  refreshed  from  the  few  hours 
rest,  fully  conscious  of  another  day's  struggle  with  the  marauding  foe. 
Rations  had  given  out,  and  they  must  fight  on  empty  stomachs. 
Three  or  four  companies  of  the  Nineteenth  were  advanced  as  skirmish 
ers,  and  mine  was  among  the  number.  The  men  were  deployed,  and 
quietly,  stealthily,  the  line  advanced,  in  the  face  and  eyes  of  Rebel 
sharpshooters,  who  forwarded  their  compliments  without  stint.  The 
line  was  too  small  to  deserve  many  shells,  or  it  would  have  received 
them.  Our  position  was  in  an  open  field,  with  no  shelter  in  the  front 
and  none  above  to  shield  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  The  men 
lay  flat  on  the  ground,  and  presented  as  small  a  target  as  possible.  In 
this  position  they  remained  ten  hours,  suffering  severely  from  thirst  and 
heat.  If  any  poor  wight  happened  to  elevate  his  head,  he  was  sure  to 
receive  attention.  At  times  during  the  day,  our  boys,  by  way  of 
diversion,  would  pop  away  in  return,  but  the  enemy  was  too  well 
shielded  to  receive  much  harm. 

"Early  in  the  afternoon,  two  pieces  of  Rebel  artillery  gave  the 
signal.  Almost  instantly,  shot  and  shell  from  two  hundred  pieces 
of  artillery  went  screaming  over  our  heads.  Our  own  batteries  im 
mediately  replied,  and  for  two  hours  were  hurled  those  masses  of  de 
struction  and  death.  All  passed  over  our  heads,  as  we  were  in  a  place 
of  comparative  security,  and  only  the  premature  explosion  of  a  shell 
from  either  side  was  the  source  of  much  danger,  save  now  and  then  a 
ricochet  shot  from  the  enemy  would  plow  along  the  ground,  scattering 
the  earth  upon  us.  Only  a  few  were  hurt.  By  and  by  came  relief. 
It  requires  less  nerve  to  face  the  enemy  man  to  man,  in  open  field,  than 
to  lie  down  supinely  while  he  hurls  his  missiles.  There  may  be  less 
danger  in  the  latter  process,  but  the  testimony  of  all  gives  preference 
to  the  former.  The  enemy  was  advancing,  and  I  assure  you  it  was  a 
relief  at  that  particular  time,  as  ten  hours  prostration  on  the  ground, 
side  by  side  with  hundreds  of  the  enemy's  dead,  in  the  scorching  sun, 
cannot  be  termed  an  agreeable  situation,  to  say  nothing  about  the 
suspense  which  accompanies  a  battle  of  long  duration.  The  enemy 
advanced  in  solid  column  against  the  frail  line  of  the  Second  Corps, 
which  occupied  the  center  of  the  whole  line,  and  at  a  point  near  the 
Baltimore  turnpike;  a  point  which,  if  they  could  obtain,  would  insure 
them  victory.  On  they  came,  heedless  of  the  few  skirmishers  who 
stood  before  them,  the  only  alternative  of  whom  was  to  retire  or  be 
annihilated.  Slowly  and  reluctantly  they  fell  back,  firing  incessantly 
into  the  solid  ranks  of  the  Rebels,  every  shot  taking  effect.  Soon 
they  reached  the  main  body  and  then  commenced  the  fight  in  earnest. 
For  five  minutes  the  Second  Corps  discharged  volley  after  volley, 
while  grape  and  canister  cut  gaping  swaths,  mowing  down  the  furious 
minions  of  treason,  like  grass  before  the  scythe.  A  few  of  the  most 
intrepid  ones  advanced  to  within  a  dozen  yards  of  the  fence  behind 
which  we  stood,  but  instantly  they  shriek  and  fall,  pierced  by  number 
less  balls.  Others  still  advance,  and  meet  a  like  fate.  In  a  few  mom- 
ments  they  are  overpowered,  and,  eager  still  for  life,  endeavor  to  gain 
a  respite  from  the  fate  of  their  comrades  by  the  nimble  use  of  their 
legs.  A  few  well  directed  volleys  bring  them  to  a  realizing  sense  that 
their  game  will  not  pay,  and  therefore  they  stop  and  lie  down.  On 
ward  dashes  some  little  battalion  and  brings  them  in  prisoners.  Thus 
ends  the  battle,  and  the  firing  nearly  ceased.  The  victory  is  complete, 
but  not  without  terrible  gaps  in  our  own  ranks.  The  Nineteenth  lost 
206  in  killed  and  wounded, — one  half  of  its  whole  number  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  previous  day;  and  the  loss  in  the  Brigade  and  throughout  the 


IOO  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Corps  was  in  about  the  same  proportion.  The  Corps  had  twice  hurled 
back  the  heavy  columns  of  Lee,  and  its  commander,  Hancock,  was 
severely  wounded. 

"It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  wounded  were  being 
cared  for,  and  our  dead  being  buried.  Night  again  fell,  and  on  a 
more  ghastly  field  than  ever  before  on  this  continent.  Weary  and 
jaded  the  men  again  sought  rest,  little  fearing  another  attack.  The 
morning  broke.  Not  a  Confederate  could  be  seen.  The  Fifth  and 
Sixth  Corps  advanced  to  reconnoitre,  and  were  welcomed  by  half 
a  dozan  guns,  which  were  then  hastily  spiked.  'The  enemy  has 
retired,'  was  the  theme  of  the  conversation  everywhere.  Satisfaction 
and  cheerfulness  abounded.  A  heavy  force  soon  started  in  pursuit, 
but  the  Second  Corps  was  to  remain  for  a  while  to  bury  the  dead.  A 
detail  was  soon  made  from  each  regiment,  with  pickaxes  and  shovels 
to  perform  the  last  sad  rites.  Our  own  dead  were  buried  in  groups, 
the  name  and  regiment  of  each  placed  at  the  head  of  the  little  mounds. 
Then  they  proceeded  to  the  Rebel  dead, — and  I  will  say  here,  that  by 
adding  together  the  numbers  buried  by  the  several  squads,  the  number 
reached  upwards  of  2,000  opposite  the  line  of  battle  of  the  Second  Corps. 
It  was  a  mournful  task. 
********* 

"I  have  written  lengthilv — much  more  than  I  intended — but  I  am 
quite  unable  to  express  the  hardships  our  brave  volunteers  have  under 
gone  for  the  past  forty  days.  Our  ranks  in  the  field  are  now  weak  and 
thinned.  There  is  many  an  absentee  at  roll  call.  We  need  more  men. 
God  grant  that  we  may  have  them.  Eleven  months  ago  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  was  one  thousand  strong.  Today  its  ranks  number  258.  Some 
who  were  then  with  us  are  reposing  on  the  banks  of  the  Rappahannock; 
other  are  asleep  on  the  stained  and  ever  memorable  field  at  Gettys 
burg.  Only  a  few  are  left. 


BACK    TO   THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  IO1 


CHAPTER  VI. 


BACK  TO  THE  RAPPAHANNOCK,  BRISTOE  STATION, 
MINE  RUN  AND  SECOND  WINTER  IN  CAMP. 

The  Regiment  broke  camp  on  the  i8th  of  July,  crossing 
the  Potomac  at  Harper's  Ferry.  We  then  crossed  the  Shenan- 
doah  river  on  a  pontoon  bridge,  moved  around  to  the  head  of 
Loudon  Heights  and  started  up  the  Loudon  Valley,  following 
closely  in  the  route  over  which  we  marched  October  3Oth,  '62, 
after  the  battle  of  Antietam.  On  the  next  day,  Sunday,  July 
1 9th,  the  Regiment  reached  Snicker's  Gap.  The  soldiers 
thought  they  had  never  seen  blackberries  so  large  and  plentiful 
as  were  found  at  this  time  in  this  region  of  country.  We  were 
marching  slowly,  keeping  near  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  there  was 
good  opportunity  for  picking  these  berries.  In  its  advance 
along  the  mountains,  the  cavalry  was  very  active  and  had  several 
encounters  with  the  enemy.  Our  route  took  us  through  Bloom- 
field,  Upperville  and  the  vicinity  of  Ashby's  Gap,  and  we 
reached  Linden  Station  on  the  Manassas  Gap  railway  on  the 
23rd  day  of  July.  The  Third  Corps,  under  General  French,  took 
the  advance  through  Manassas  Gap,  followed  by  the  Fifth 
and  our  own  Corps.  The  Regiment  marched  entirely  through 
the  Gap  on  the  23rd,  reaching  the  vicinity  of  Front  Royal, 
the  march  covering  a  distance  of  about  eighteen  miles.  In 
some  places  the  Gap  was  very  wide  and  in  others  quite  narrow. 
The  country  looked  very  pretty  around  Front  Royal.  The 
Third  Corps  had  some  fighting,  which  we  escaped.  On  the 
24th  we  retraced  our  steps  through  the  Gap  and  went  into 
camp.  An  order  was  issued  that  we  must  subsist  on  half 
rations  for  a  while.  Inasmuch  as  few  of  us  had  any  rations  at 
all,  the  order  did  not  materially  affect  our  style  of  living. 

It  appears  that  the  head  of  Longstreet's  Corps  reached 
Millwood,  opposite  Ashby's  Gap,  July  2Oth,  with  the  intention 


102  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

of  pushing  through  the  Gap.  Our  cavalry  had  possession  of 
that.  Then  Longstreet  pushed  for  Manassas  and  Chester  Gap. 
He  bridged  the  Shenandoah  at  Front  Royal,  as  the  river  was 
not  fordable.  General  Corse  hurried  a  regimenfinto  Manassas 
Gap  and  put  the  rest  of  his  force  into  Chester  Gap  and  managed 
to  get  possession  of  the  latter  a  few  minutes  before  our  troops 
appeared  in  the  opposite  end  of  the  Gap.  Colonel  Herbert, 
with  the  Seventeenth  Virginia  Regiment  alone,  kept  our  force 
a  long  time  from  penetrating  Manassas  ^Gap.  Longstreet 
marched  through  Chester  Gap  and  made  his  way  leisurely  to 
Culpepper  Court  House.  The  other  Confederate  corps  crossed 
the  mountains  further  south. 

Mosby's  guerrillas  were  very  active  upon  our  flanks  and 
rear.  Any  fainting  soldier,  dropping  by  the  roadside,  was  sure 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  Mosby's  men  and  quickly  find  his 
way  into  the  Richmond  prisons.  A  number  of  the  men  of 
the  Nineteenth  were  in  this  luckless  class.  On  the  25th  we 
marched  twenty  miles  to  White  Plains,  going  through  Rector- 
town.  We  proceeded  the  next  day  to  a  place  near  Warrenton 
Junction.  This  was  an  exceedingly  trying  march  of  twenty 
miles.  The  day  was  very  hot  and  men,  overcome  by  the  heat, 
died  by  the  roadside.  From  Warrenton  Junction  the  Regi 
ment  proceeded  to  Morrisville.  We  left  the  vicinity  of  Warren 
ton  at  sunset  July  3Oth  and  marched  until  nearly  three  o'clock 
the  next  morning,  reaching  the  vicinity  of  Elk  Run.  On  the 
last  day  of  the  month  we  proceeded  to  Morrisville  a  place 
where  we  were  destined  to  remain  for  some  time.  The  men 
of  the  Regiment  had  been  compelled  to  subsist  for  weeks  on 
very  poor  rations.  The  diet  of  pork  and  hard  bread  had  been 
varied  only  at  long  intervals,  when  the  men  would  forage  upon 
the  country  through  which  they  marched. 

General  Halleck  telegraphed  General  Meade  on  the  29th 
of  July  that  he  thought  "it  would  be  best  to  hold  for  the  present 
the  upper  lines  of  the  Rappahannock  without  further  pursuit 
of  Lee."  The  Regiment  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Morrisville 
for  about  six  weeks.  In  many  respects  this  period  was  a  pleas 
ant  experience  for  the  Regiment.  Once  our  encampment 
was  changed  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  better  water.  What 


BACK    TO    THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  103 

the  soldiers  needed  more  than  anything  else  was  rest  and  good 
food.  We  received  neither  of  these  in  abundance.  It  was  very 
hot  weather  the  most  of  the  time.  On  several  occasions  the 
thermometer  registered  104  in  the  shade.  As  a  rule,  however, 
the  nights  were  comfortable.  During  the  first  week's  sojourn 
at  Morrisville,  Paymaster  Hewey  appeared  in  camp  and  the 
Regiment  received  two  months'  pay  in  full  up  to  July  ist. 

The  6th  day  of  August  had  been  set  apart  by  President 
Lincoln  to  be  observed  as  a  day  of  national  thanksgiving.  Us 
observance  in  our  division  was  simply  perfunctory.  No  effort 
was  made  by  the  officers  to  have  the  day  kept  in  the  spirit  as 
President  Lincoln  desired  that  it  should  be.  The  men  were 
truly  thankful  that  they  were  alive. 

On  the  2ist  of  August  our  Division  turned  out  to  witness 
the  execution  of  Jesse  Mayberry,  of  the  Seventy-first  Pennsyl 
vania,  who  was  shot  for  desertion.  Large  picket  details  were 
necessary  during  our  Morrisville  stay.  There  were  expeditions 
from  the  Corps  in  various  directions  to  guard  against  the  activ 
ity  of  the  Confederate  cavalry.  We  received  while  here  198 
drafted  men,  recruits  and  substitutes.  These  men  had  to  be 
drilled  and  watched.  While  there  were  some  desertions  among 
these  recruits,  it  may  be  said  to  their  credit  that  some  of  the 
best  soldiers  of  the  Regiment  were  men  who  came  to  us  while 
at  Morrisville. 

Toward  the  end  of  August,  with  the  rest  of  the  Second 
Corps,  the  Regiment  made  an  expedition  to  Banks'  Ford  above 
Fal mouth.  It  was  a  good  day's  march  and  was  said  to  be  for 
the  purpose  of  supporting  our  cavalry  in  the  destruction  of 
gunboats  on  the  Rappahannock.  We  reached  Morrisville  on 
our  return  trip  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  September  4th. 
On  Saturday,  September  i2th,  we  left  Morrisville  at  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  marched  down  past  Bealeton  Station 
to  within  about  one  mile  of  the  river  and  bivouacked  near  the 
railroad.  This  was  not  a  long  march,  but  it  was  one  of  the 
most  distressing  in  the  experience  of  the  Regiment.  It  was  a 
very  hot,  sultry  day.  In  the  forenoon  the  thermometer  rose  to 
1 06  degrees  in  the  shade.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  men  were 
drenched  to  the  skin  in  a  heavy  thunder  storm,  which  was  grate- 


104  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE     REGIMENT 

tully  received.  The  men  started  in  a  rain  storm  the  next  morn 
ing  about  seven  o'clock  and  crossed  the  river  at  Rappahannock 
Station.  A  large  force  of  cavalry  was  in  advance  of  our  Corps. 
The  Nineteenth  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Gulpepper  Court 
House  in  the  afternoon  and  encamped  a  mile  west  of  town. 
Cannonading  was  heard  along  the  banks  of  the  Rapidan  to 
the  south.  Our  cavalry  had  brisk  work  in  driving  the  Confed 
erates  out  of  this  peninsula  between  the  Rapidan  and  the 
Rappahannock.  It  was  ground  that  had  been  fought  over 
many  times.  On  the  iyth  of  September,  the  Regiment  ad 
vanced,  with  the  Second  and  Sixth  Corps,  to  the  Rapidan  river. 
The  Second  Corps  was  extended  along  the  Rapidan  to  picket 
the  fords  and  its  picket  line  was  nearly  ten  miles  long.  The 
necessity  for  this  activity  on  the  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac  was  to  prevent  General  Lee  from  sending  further  reinforce 
ments  to  the  Confederate  armies  in  the  west. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  General  Hooker  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Army  Corps. 
These  two  army  corps  were  later  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  on  the  3rd  day  of  October.  On  September  25th, 
when  General  Slocum  learned  that  Hooker  was  to  command 
these  two  corps,  he  wrote  to  President  Lincoln  tendering  his 
resignation,  and  in  his  letter  to  the  President,  passed  out  this 
bouquet  to  Hooker:  "My  opinion  of  General  Hooker,  both 
as  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  is  too  well  known  to  make  it  nec- 
cessary  for  me  to  refer  to  it  in  this  communication.  The  public 
service  cannot  be  promoted  by  placing  under  his  command  an 
officer  who  has  so  little  confidence  in  his  ability  as  1  have.  Our 
relations  are  such  that  it  would  be  degrading  to  me  to  accept 
any  position  under  him."  The  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps 
now  passed  permanently  out  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

On  the  first  day  of  October,  a  man  of  the  Fifteenth  Massa 
chusetts,  found  guilty  of  desertion,  was  drummed  out  of  the 
service  in  the  presence  of  our  Brigade.  This  Regiment  so  inti 
mately  associated  with  our  own,  had  only  one  man  shot  for 
desertion  during  its  service,  and  this  man  was  John  Roberts,  of 
Company  H,  of  that  Regiment.  The  Brigade  was  called  cut  to 


BACK   TO    THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  105 

witness  his  execution  on  October  3Oth.     Roberts  was  a  substi 
tute  and  had  been  absent  from  his  regiment  only  three  days. 

BRISTOE    STATION 

On  the  5th  of  October,  the  Second  Corps  was  relieved  by  the 
Sixth  and  withdrawn  from  its  position  along  the  Rapidan  to 
Culpepper,  where  it  remained  until  the  loth.  On  this  last 
named  day,  the  right  of  our  Army  near  James  City  which  was 
held  by  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  supported  by  a  part  of  the  Third 
Corps  was  suddenly  attacked  by  Stuart's  cavalry  and  driven  in 
toward  Culpepper.  This  assault,  together  with  intercepted 
communications  by  signal  from  Clark's  mountain,  furnished 
evidence  to  General  Meade  that  his  right  flank  was  already 
turned.  During  the  night  our  trains  were  sent  across  the 
Rappahannock,  details  were  made  to  keep  up  the  fires  until 
midnight  in  order  to  deceive  the  enemy,  and  the  Second  and 
Fifth  Corps  quietly  and  hastily  began  their  retrograde  movement. 
By  daylight  on  October  i  ith  our  whole  force  was  north  of  the 
river  and  the  bridge  at  Rappahannock  Station  was  blown  up. 
General  Meade  having  gathered  all  the  misinformation  he  could 
from  our  cavalry  and  on  advice  given  by  Generals  Pleasanton 
and  Sykes  concluded  that  instead  of  the  Confederate  army 
having  flanked  him,  it  was  advancing  from  the  south  and  then 
occupied  Culpepper  Court  House.  We  started  back  toward 
Culpepper  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  i2th,  preceded 
by  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Army  Corps.  Our  three  corps  were 
preceded  by  General  Buford's  Cavalry  Division.  The  Corps 
advanced  nearly  to  Brandy  Station. 

About  eleven  o'clock  at  night  on  the  i2th,  we  began  our 
movement  north  again,  recrossed  the  river  and  proceeded  by 
way  of  Bealeton  to  Fayetteville,  where  we  arrived  about  one 
o'clock  on  the  1 3th.  We  had  stopped  the  night  before  only  long 
enough  to  prepare  food,  so  that  since  that  time  we  had  march 
ed  about  thirty-six  miles  practically  without  rest  or  sleep. 
General  Warren  had  been  ordered  to  follow  the  Third  Corps  and 
act  as  rear  guard  to  the  whole  army.  The  boys  got  about  one 
hour's  sleep  at  Fayetteville  while  lying  in  line  of  battle.  The 
Third  Corps  kept  us  waiting  considerable  time  and  we  then  pro- 


IO6  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

ceeded  to  what  was  called  Three-mile  Station  on  the  Warrenton 
branch  railroad.  After  waiting  here  for  some  time  for  the  Third 
Corps  to  get  out  of  the  way,  we  proceeded  along  the  flank  of  that 
Corps  to  the  Vicinity  of  Auburn  on  Cedar  Run.  It  was  just  after 
dark,  and  the  only  available  crossing  place  was  occupied  by  the 
Third  Corps.  When  that  Corps  was  not  wanted,  it  was  in  the 
way;  and  when  they  were  wanted,  there  were  merrily  skipping 
out  toward  Manassas,  making  good  time.  While  we  were 
tarrying  here,  we  had  a  good  opportunity  to  prepare  something 
to  eat.  The  Regiment  was  routed  out  on  the  morning  of  Octo 
ber  1 4th  between  three  and  four  o'clock  and  started  to  cross 
Cedar  Run  at  the  village  of  Auburn.  This  was  not  the" Auburn  ' 
sung  of  by  the  poet.  It  consisted  of  one  shabby  residence  and  a 
blacksmith  shop.  In  order  to  cross  Cedar  Run,  we  had  to 
march  directly  toward  the  enemy  for  a  couple  of  miles.  The 
fact  is  the  enemy  were  on  our  flank  trying  to  find  a  suitable  place 
to  attack.  While  General  Caldwell's  Division  was  crossing 
Cedar  Run,  Gregg's  Cavalry  Division  which  had  been  on  the 
left  flank  and  rear  of  the  Second  Corps,  was  driven  in  by  the  en 
emy  advancing  from  the  direction  of  Warrenton.  Carroll's  Bri 
gade,  always  ready  for  any  dangerous  duty,  responded  to 
Gregg's  appeal  for  infantry  support.  The  Confederates  threaten 
ing  us  now  were  Rodes'  Division  of  Ewell's  Corps.  Caldwell's 
Division  having  crossed  the  Run,  Hays'  Third  Division  took 
the  advance  on  the  road.  Caldwell  was  occupying  the  side  of  a 
hill  which  lay  between  the  road  to  Greenwich  and  Catlett's 
Station,  having  with  him  the  batteries  of  Ricketts,  Arnold  and 
Ames.  While  Caldwell's  men  were  stopping  here  they  im 
mediately  proceeded  to  make  coffee  and  while  so  engaged,  there 
came  out  of  the  pine  woods  ahead  of  us,  and  on  the  very  road  we 
were  expecting  to  use,  a  succession  of  flashes,  followed  by  shells 
which  exploded  in  the  midst  of  Caldwell's  men.  Ten  or  a  dozen 
men  in  Caldwell's  Division  were  killed  by  this  fire.  One  shell 
killed  seven  men.  The  commander  of  the  Third  Division  was 
Alexander  Hays.  The  shells  intended  for  Caldwell's  Division 
passed  over  the  head  of  Hays  and  his  boys.  Rickett's  Penn 
sylvania  Battery  came  into  position  and  answered  the  hostile 
guns.  Quicker  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  General  Hays,  always 


BACK    TO   THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  IOy 

ready  for  an  emergency,  formed  his  skirmish  line  which  he  sup 
ported  with  infantry,  and  started  to  find  out  who  was  thus 
impudently  blocking  our  way.  In  a  very  short  time  he  not  only 
found  out  but  opened  the  road  for  us. 

It  appears  that  General  Stuart  with  two  brigades  of  cavalry 
and  seven  pieces  of  artillery  had  been  inadvertently  caught  the 
previous  night  between  the  columns  of  our  army.  Finding 
himself  thus  caught  and  unable  to  extricate  himself,  he  hid 
away  his  force  in  the  dense  pine  woods  on  the  road  from  Auburn 
to  Catlett's.  He  dared  not  undertake  to  push  his  way  out  at 
night,  because  he  did  not  know  what  he  might  encounter,  or 
which  way  to  turn.  He  thus  waited  until  daylight  and  then 
hoped  that  when  he  opened  on  the  Second  Corps  that  the  Con 
federate  infantry  would  advance  from  the  opposite  direction 
and  that  thus  they  might  annihilate  whatever  troops  were  be 
tween  them.  When  Stuart  opened,  however,  some  of  his  shells 
passed  completely  over  our  lines  and  into  the  faces  of  the 
advancing  Confederates.  They  failed  to  make  connection. 
When  he  started  to  move  away,  the  Confederate  infantry  at 
tacked,  with  considerable  force,  Brooke's  Brigade  of  the  First 
Division,  which  was  left  to  stand  off  the  Confederates  until  we 
could  get  out  of  the  way.  The  force  attacking  Colonel  Brooke 
consisted  of  a  heavy  line  of  skirmishers  followed  by  two  lines 
of  battle. 

Now  that  the  road  was  clear,  General  Webb  with  our 
Division  took  the  advance  and  Caldwell's  men  held  the  rear, 
and  we  all  started  out  for  Catlett's  Station.  The  men  did  not 
require  to  be  urged  to  take  the  quick  step.  We  all  realized  now 
that  this  was  a  race  in  which  large  issues  were  involved.  No 
complaints  were  heard.  Our  brigade  led  in  the  march  and  our 
Regiment  was  near  the  head  of  the  column. 

When  two  or  three  miles  from  Auburn,  General  Caldwell 
selected  a  storng  position,  planted  his  artillery  in  places  of  ad 
vantage  and  waited  to  give  the  enemy  a  dose  of  their  own  medi 
cine.  This  was  done  in  order  to  get  our  Corps  trains  beyond 
Catlett's  Station  and  out  of  the  way.  Then  General  Caldwell 
was  ordered  to  let  go  and  follow  the  other  two  divisions. 


108  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

The  men  were  loaded  down  with  four  or  five  days'  rations 
and  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition.  The  column  was  put  in 
motion  from  Catlett's  Station  toward  Bristoe.  The  distance 
between  these  two  places  is  about  seven  miles.  The  experience 
of  the  day  had  made  the  men  willing  to  march  expeditiously. 
With  a  swinging  stride,  the  tired  soldiers  were  measuring  off 
the  distance  to  Bristoe.  When  about  half  way  there,  directly 
in  our  front  a  furious  cannonading  breaks  out  ahead  of  us,  up 
the  railroad  track.  The  woods  in  our  front  concealed  the  view, 
and  generals  and  staff  officers  galloped  to  the  front.  Soon  orders 
came  for  the  troops  to  hurry  forward.  Our  Division  then  crossed 
the  railroad  to  the  south  side  and  then  we  all  took  a  brisk  trot 
toward  the  firing  in  front.  The  First  Minnesota  was  marching 
on  the  left  as  flankers.  We  soon  came  out  into  a  clearing  and 
Bristoe  Station  is  in  plain  sight.  A  Confederate  battery  on  the 
left  is  taking  position  and  a  few  minutes  afterward  the  Confed 
erate  infantry  is  seen  moving  out  of  the  woods  and  forming  upon 
a  hill  near  Broad  Run, facing  the  railroad.  They  are  the  Confed 
erate  Brigades  of  Cooke  and  Kirkland  of  Heth's  Division,  Hill's 
Corps.  The  flankers  have  already  opened  fire  upon  the  Confed 
erate  skirmishers.  Brown's  Battery  B  was  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  ready  for  trouble.  This  battery  dashes  across  the 
plain,  fords  Broad  Run  and  gets  into  action  on  the  other  side. 
Only  two  Brigades  of  our  Division  are  present.  The  Pennsyl 
vania  Brigade  was  absent  guarding  the  wagon  trains.  The 
Fifteenth  Massachusetts  led  the  Brigade;  then  came  the  Eighty- 
second  New  York,  followed  by  the  Nineteenth  Maine.  We  went 
upon  the  field  of  battle  on  the  run.  When  the  Brigade  drew 
near  Broad  Run,  they  were  ordered  to  advance  by  the  left  flank 
toward  the  enemy  and  the  railroad.  The  Eighty-second  New 
York  was  then  hastily  drawn  from  the  line  and  hurried  across 
Broad  Run  and  then  immediately  back  again.  The  Minnesota 
men  fought  as  flankers.  Upon  the  withdrawal  of  the  Eighty- 
second  New  York,  our  Regiment  extended  its  line  toward  the 
right  so  as  to  connect  with  the  Fifteenth  Massachusetts.  The 
Third  Brigade,  under  Colonel  Mallon,  of  the  Tammany  Regi 
ment,  joined  us  on  the  left.  Colonel  Mallon  was  killed  in  the  en 
gagement.  The  Forty-second  New  York  was  the  next  regiment 


BACK    TO   THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  ICX) 

on  our  left.  Our  Regiment  was  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Cunningham,  Colonel  Heath  being  in  command  of  the 
Brigade.  Rickett's  Pennsylvania  Battery  went  into  position 
on  a  small  hill  immediately  in  our  rear  and  poured  rapid  fire 
over  our  heads.  The  Brigades  of  Cooke  and  Kirkland  came 
charging  down  the  sides  of  the  hill,  their  flanks  supported  by 
Davis'  and  Walker's  Brigades  of  the  same  Division.  As  soon  as 
the  Confederate  line  got  within  thirty  yards  of  the  railroad,  our 
Brigade  on  the  right  opened  fire.  Mallon's  Brigade  swings 
into  line  behind  the  railroad  a  few  minutes  later  and  its  regiments 
continued  the  firing  line  to  the  left.  Owen's  Brigade  of  the 
Third  Division,  consisting  of  New  York  troops,  came  next  in 
line;  then  the  brigade  of  that  splendid  soldier,  Colonel  Thomas 
A.  Smyth.  Our  men  continued  firing  until  the  front  was  clear 
of  the  enemy.  In  two  places  a  few  of  the  more  adventuresome 
Confederates  leaped  upon  the  railroad  track,  only  to  be  shot 
down  and  captured.  Sergeant  Small,  of  the  Nineteenth,  shot 
one  Confederate  at  muskets'  length  and  ran  another  through 
with  his  bayonet. 

The  regimental  flag  of  the  Twenty-seventh  North  Carolina 
was  captured  in  front  of  our  line  by  Moses  C.  Hanscom  of  Com 
pany  F,  who  was  subsequently  awarded  a  medal  of  honor.  One 
poor  Confederate  evidently  desiring  to  surrender,  jumped  upon 
the  railroad  track  without  his  rifle  and  in  the  excitement  of  the 
moment  he  was  shot  dead  by  one  of  the  men  of  the  Regiment. 
The  railroad  embankment  was  about  high  enough  to  afford  good 
breastworks.  A  large  number  of  prisoners  was  taken  by  the 
Brigade,  in  which  the  Nineteenth  participated. 

The  result  of  the  battle  of  Bristoe  Station  was  the  killing 
and  wounding  of  900  Confederate  officers  and  men  and  the  cap 
ture  of  500  prisoners,  two  colors  and  five  guns.  In  this  battle 
the  Confederate  Generals  Cooke,  Kirkland  and  Posey  were 
wounded,  and  the  latter  soon  died  as  a  result  of  his  wounds. 
Our  own  loss  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing  was  about  500. 
Over  1 50  of  this  number  were  reported  as  missing,  having  given 
out  on  the  retreat  from  Culpepper,  except  about  seventy  belong 
ing  to  Brooke's  Brigade,  who  were  captured  while  that  officer 
was  skirmishing  with  Ewell,  earlier  in  the  day. 


IIO  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

In  General  Hill's  report  of  this  engagement,  he  stated  that 
he  was  convinced  that  he  "made  the  attack  too  hastily."  The 
Confederate  Secretary  of  War  endorsed  upon  Hill's  report  that, 
— "The  disaster  at  Bristoe  Station  seems  due  fo  a  gallant  but 
over  hasty  pressing  of  the  enemy." 

Colonel  John  S.  Mosby  reports  Hill's  loss  as  1378,  and  adds, 
"When  Hill  and  Ewell  arrived  near  Bristoe,  the  Third  Corps 
(French)  had  just  crossed  Broad  Run  on  the  retreat  to  Center- 
ville.  Hill  ordered  Heth  to  cross  and  attack  it ;  the  Third  Corps 
went  on;  the  Second,  under  Warren,  was  intercepted.  It  had 
not  reached  the  stream  and  was  marching  in  column  on  the  rail 
road.  Warren  immediately  formed  a  front  to  his  flank  behind 
a  railroad  embankment  and  a  deep  cut.  Heth  overlooked  it; 
this  was  the  cause  of  the  failure  of  the  Bristoe  campaign.  With 
ordinary  skill,  the  Second  Corps  should  have  been  destroyed."1 

The  engagement  was  over  at  four  o'clock.  The  time  be 
tween  that  and  dark  was  an  anxious  hour  for  General  Warren 
and  his  Division  commanders.  Colonel  Heath  in  writing  of  this 
engagement  after  the  war,  stated  that,  "About  five  p.  m.  we 
began  to  hear  reports  of  the  approach  of  Ewell  on  our  left.  I 
think  I  never  knew  daylight  to  last  as  long  as  it  did  that  same 
afternoon,  and  I  never  wished  for  darkness  half  as  much  as  I 
did  then." 

General  Warren  in  his  report  of  this  battle  adds: — "I  con 
clude  my  report  with  the  expression  of  my  feelings,  almost  of 
gratitude,  toward  the  Second  Army  Corps,  and  especially  to  the 
commanders  of  divisions  and  brigades  and  the  staff  officers  at 
these  headquarters.  Temporarily  commanding  the  Corps  dur 
ing  the  absence  of  Major-General  Hancock,  its  permanent  com 
mander,  absent  by  reason  of  wounds  received  at  Gettysburg,  I 
find  each  department  so  well  filled  that  I  would  not  wish  to 
change  it." 

When  darkness  closed  down  upon  the  field,  a  sigh^of  relief 
went  up  from  the  men.  Word  was  passed  along  in  whispers  that 
every  man  was  to  keep  his  hand  on  his  tin  cup  and  canteen 
that  no  noise  might  be  made.  The  camp  fires  of  the  Confeder- 

1  Stuart's    Cavalry    in  the  Getteysburg   Campaign,    by  John    S. 
Mosby.       page  166. 


BACK   TO   THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  I  I  I 

ates  appeared  along  the  whole  line  and  the  voices  of  their  men 
around  the  fires  could  be  plainly  heard.  In  silence,  the  Second 
Corps  passed  along  the  enemy's  front,  forded  Broad  Run  and 
never  stopped  their  march  until  they  threw  their  weary  bodies 
on  the  ground  near  Blackburn's  Ford  on  the  Banks  of  Bull  Run 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  October  I5th.  Of  the 
sixty-nine  hours  that  had  elapsed  since  the  Regiment  left 
Bealeton  on  the  morning  of  the  i2th,  the  boys  had  been  in 
column  on  the  road,  in  line  of  battle  or  fighting  with  the 
enemy  more  than  sixty  hours. 

The  recruits  of  the  Regiment  stood  their  ground  like  veter 
ans.  Of  the  twenty  casualities  in  the  Regiment,  seventeen 
were  recruits.  The  following  is  the  list  of  the  casualities  of  the 
Regiment  at  Bristoe  Station: 

BRISTOE  STATION 

Company  A. 
John  G.  Curtis,  wounded. 

Company  B. 

Franklin  A.  Wood,  killed;  Corporal  William  H.  H.  Small,  wounded; 
Israel  H.  Cross,  wounded;  Henry  A.  Dore,  prisoner;  died  at  Annapolis, 
Nov.  25th.  '63. 

Company  C. 
Sullivan  M.  Welch,  missing;  never  heard  from;  reported  deserter. 

Company  D. 
Ezekiel    R.    Thomas,    wounded. 

Company  F. 
Corporal  Walter  Jerald,  wounded;  William  Strange,  wounded. 

Company  G. 

James  Hammond,  prisoner;  died  Sept.  10th,  '64,  at  Andersonville . 
Daniel  Mahoney,  prisoner. 

Company  H. 

Frank  Brown,  wounded;  Jason  Bumpus,  wounded;  Charles  W. 
Judkins,  wounded;  Frederick  Smith, prisoner;  George  Tucker,  wounded ; 
George  White,  wounded. 

Company  I. 

Joseph  Baker,  missing;  Philo  F.  Washburn,  missing;  supposed  to 
have  been  captured  jusj,  before  the  battle. 

Company  K. 
Henry  F.  Roberts,  prisoner;  died  at  Andersonville,  July  24th,  '64. 

While  we  were  lying  at  Bull  Run,  the  I52nd  New  York 
Regiment,  Colonel  George  W.  Thompson,  joined  our  Brigade, 
coming  from  New  York  Harbor,  having  been  in  the  command 
of  General  Dix  in  the  Seventh  Army  Corps. 


112  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

The  inquiry  is  naturally  made  as  to  why  the  Second  Corps 
was  left  in  its  isolated  position  to  be  fallen  upon  by  the  whole 
Confederate  army.  General  Sykes,  the  commander  of  the 
Fifth  Corps,  was  instructed  by  General  Meade  not  to  leave  the 
neighborhood  of  Bristoe  Station  until  the  head  of  the  Second 
Corps  appeared.  His  only  excuse  for  leaving  was  that  he 
"thought"  he  saw  the  head  of  Warren's  Corps  coming  from  the 
direction  of  Catletts.  Such  blunders  were  placed  to  the  account 
of  profit  and  loss  and  the  officers  making  them  were  never  even 
reprimanded.  For  this  inexcusable  blunder  Sykes  ought  to 
have  been  dismissed  from  the  service.  It  was  little  short  of 
miraculous  that  the  Second  Corps  was  not  destroyed  on  this 
day.  It  was  confronted  by  the  whole  Confederate  army;  al 
though,  fortunately,  only  one  division  of  it  was  engaged.  It 
was  only  the  quick  comprehension  of  the  situation  and  the 
rapidity  of  movement  on  the  part  of  General  Warren  that 
saved  us  at  Bristoe  Station. 

The  following  is  General  Meade's  order  announcing  the 
battle  of  Bristoe  Station. 

"Headquarters,    Army   of   Potomac, 

October    15,    '63. 
General  Order  No.  76. 

The  Major-General  commanding  announces  to  the  army  that 
the  rear  guard,  consisting  of  the  Second  Corps,  was  attacked  yesterday 
while  marching  by  the  flank.  The  enemy,  after  a  spirited,  contest, 
was  repulsed,  losing  a  battery  of  five  guns,  two  colors  and  450  prisoners. 
The  skill  and  promptitude  of  Major-General  Warren  and  the  gallantry 
and  daring  of  the  soldiers  and  officers  of  the  Second  Corps  are  entitled 
to  high  commendation. 

S.  Williams,  By  command  of 

Assistant  Adjutant-General.  Major-General    Meade." 

Sometime  previous  to  the  battle  of  Bristoe  Station,  General 
Halleck  notified  General  Meade  that  he  had  recommended 
the  dismissal  of  some  of  the  useless  Major-Generals  connected 
with  our  army,  but  that  the  President  had  not  acted  upon  his 
recommendation.  This  was  one  of  the  wise  recommendations 
of  General  Halleck. 

Subsequent  to  the  battle  of  Bristoe  Station  and  on  October 
1 8th,  Halleck,  in  telegraphing  to  Meade,  says,  "General  Lee 


BACK    TO    THE     RAPPAHANNOCK  113 

is  unquestionably  bullying  you.  If  you  cannot  ascertain  his 
movements,  I  certainly  cannot.  If  you  pursue  and  fight  him,  I 
think  you  will  find  out  where  he  is.  I  know  of  no  other  way." 
General  Meade  appears  at  his  best  when  he  makes  the  following 
caustic  reply:  "Your  telegram  of  7:00  p.m.  just  received.  If 
you  have  any  orders  to  give  me  I  am  prepared  to  receive  and 
obey  them;  but  I  must  insist  on  being  spared  the  infliction  of 
such  truisms  in  the  guise  of  opinions  as  you  have  recently  hon 
ored  me  with,  particularly  as  they  were  not  asked  for."  This 
rather  cleared  the  atmosphere. 

The  Regiment  remained  at  Bull  Run  from  the  I5th  to  the 
1 9th  of  October.  We  formed  a  line  of  battle  once  or  twice  and 
there  was  cannonading  in  the  neighborhood.  The  Regiment 
started  out  early  in  the  morning  of  the  i9th  of  October  and 
passed  by  Manassas  Junction  and  marched  to  within  a  short 
distance  of  Bristoe  Station.  The  next  day  we  crossed  Broad 
Run  and  marched  through  Greenwich  to  a  point  near  Auburn 
and  near  to  the  encampment  of  October  i3th.  After  remaining 
here  a  few  days  the  Regiment  moved  several  miles  and  went  into 
camp  on  the  Warrenton  branch  railroad.  Many  of  the  boys 
unwisely  concluded  that  we  would  remain  here  for  some  time, 
and  began  building  winter  quarters.  The  fact  was,  however, 
that  in  the  advance  of  Lee's  army,  he  had  torn  up  the  railroad 
as  far  as  Manassas  Junction  and  we  were  waiting  to  have  it  re 
built  as  far  as  the  Rappahannock.  This  work  was  necessary  in 
bringing  supplies.  Having  been  completed,  the  entire  army 
took  up  its  march  on  November  yth  toward  the  Rappahannock. 
The  army  proceeded  in  two  columns,  the  left  composed  of  the 
First,  Second  and  Third  Corps  and  the  right  of  the  Fifth  and 
Sixth  Corps.  The  march  of  our  Regiment  took  us  through  War 
renton  Junction,  Bealeton  and  Morrisville.  The  Third  Corps 
effected  a  crossing  at  Kelly's  Ford  with  little  loss,  capturing 
several  hundred  prisoners. 

On  the  right,  however,  the  enemy  was  encountered  at 
Rappahannock  Station.  Two  brigades  of  the  First  Division, 
Sixth  Corps,  captured  a  fortification  of  the  enemy  near  where 
the  railroad  crossed  the  Rappahannock,  capturing  over  a  thous 
and  prisoners,  several  cannon,  small  arms  and  supplies.  In  this 


114  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

brilliant  affair,  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Maine  Regiments  took  a  con 
spicuous  part  and  reflected  honor  upon  the  State  of  Maine. 

The  Regiment  crossed  the  river  on  the  8th  and  proceeded 
about  eight  miles  in  the  direction  of  Brandy  Station,  Captain 
Starbird  being  in  command.  Lines  of  battle  were  formed  here 
as  though  a  brush  with  the  enemy  was  expected.  On  the  loth 
the  Regiment  advanced  with  the  Division  two  or  three  miles 
and  encamped.  We  here  took  possession  of  a  Confederate 
camp  recently  and  hurriedly  vacated  by  the  enemy.  The 
Nineteenth  took  the  camp  of  the  Second  Louisiana  Regiment, 
and  some  of  the  log  houses  found  here  were  very  fine.  The 
writer  recalls  that  the  house  falling  to  his  lot,  and  which  he  oc 
cupied  with  his  messmates  was  a  well  constructed  log  house 
with  a  brick  chimney.  The  boys  found  here  a  pretty  comfort 
able  home,  where  they  would  have  been  willing  to  have  spent 
the  winter.  The  Regiment  remained  here  until  the  24th  of 
November.  During  our  stay  near  Brandy  Station  the  only 
camp  which  we  occupied  was  about  two  miles  directly  south 
from  Brandy  Station  and  about  half  way  between  the  Station 
and  Stevensburg.  Occasionally  in  Culpepper  county  a  Union 
man  was  found.  This  fact  was  attributed  to  the  great  influ 
ence  of  John  Minor  Botts,  who  remained  true  to  the  govern 
ment  during  the  war.  Mr.  Botts  had  a  large  estate  north  of 
the  railroad  and  one  mile  west  of  Brandy  Station.  He  was 
now  an  old  man,  upwards  of  sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  at 
home  during  the  stormy  period  of  the  war  except  when  Jeff 
Davis  had  him  in  prison  in  Richmond,  charged  with  treason. 

MINE  RUN 

The  Mine  Run  campaign  does  not  awaken  pleasant  mem 
ories  in  the  minds  of  the  survivors  of  the  old  Regiment.  That 
campaign  imposed  upon  us  hardship  but  gave  us  no  honor. 
It  is,  however,  a  part  of  our  history.  It  was  the  purpose  of 
General  Meade  to  move  his  army  from  its  position  around 
Brandy  Station  and  by  a  rapid  march  push  his  troops  inside  of 
General  Lee's  line  of  defense  at  Mine  Run  and  attack  the  corps 
of  either  Hill  or  Ewell,  separated  by  some  distance  from  each 
other.  The  movement  was  planned  to  begin  on  the  24th  of 


BACK   TO   THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  115 

November,  but  a  heavy  rain  storm  on  the  preceding  night 
caused  the  execution  of  the  plan  to  be  deferred.  We  started  on 
this  campaign  on  Thursday  morning,  November  26th.  This 
was  our  national  Thanksgiving  Day.  The  advance  was  made 
in  three  columns.  The  right  column  was  composed  of  the 
Third  and  Sixth  Corps,  which  were  to  cross  the  Rapidan  at 
Jacob's  Ford.  The  left  column  was  composed  of  the  First  and 
Fifth  Corps,  and  they  were  to  cross  the  river  at  Culpepper  Mine 
Ford.  The  Second  Corps  composed  the  central  column  and  it 
was  ordered  to  cross  the  Rapidan  at  Germanna  Ford  and  proceed 
in  a  westerly  direction  on  the  Orange  turnpike  to  Robertson's 
Tavern.  The  First  Corps  was  ordered  to  come  up  and  form 
on  the  left  side  of  the  Second  and  the  Fifth  Corps  was  to  extend 
the  line  of  the  First  Corps  as  far  as  Parker's  Store  on  the  Orange- 
plank  road.  The  Third  and  Sixth  Corps  were  instructed  to  form 
on  the  right  of  the  Second  Corps  at  Robertson's  Tavern. 

Now,  in  order  to  insure  success,  the  greatest  celerity  of 
movement  was  essential.  When  the  engineers  began  laying  the 
bridges  at  Germanna  and  Jacob's  Fords,  it  was  discovered  that 
they  lacked  two  or  three  pontoon  boats  to  reach  the  southern 
shore.  The  rains  of  the  23rd  and  24th  had  extended  the  banks 
of  the  Rapidan.  So  the  head  of  the  Second  Corps  did  not  reach 
Robertson's  Tavern  until  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of 
the  next  day.  Here  the  Confederate  infantry  was  encountered, 
after  brushing  his  cavalry  out  of  the  way.  The  Fifth  Corps 
reached  Parker's  Store  at  about  the  same  time  that  our  Corps 
reached  Robertson's.  The  Third  Corps  was  not  up,  as  expected, 
early  on  the  2yth. 

The  orders  to  General  French  were  after  crossing  Jacob's 
Ford,  to  proceed  at  once  to  Robertson's  Tavern,  about  eight 
miles  distant,  and  take  position  on  the  right  of  our  Corps. 
French's  Corps  was  followed  by  Sedgwick's  Corps.  The  cross 
ing  at  Jacob's  Ford  was  so  difficult  that  most  of  the  artillery  of 
the  Third  corps  had  to  be  sent  to  Germanna  Ford,  two  miles 
below,  in  order  to  cross.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  the  supply  train  crossed  at  this  point  by  reason  of  the 
narrow  road  and  precipitous  banks.  Not  having  a  guide  who 
knew  the  way,  French's  troops  took  the  wrong  road  and  had 


Il6  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

to  retrace  their  steps.  There  is  no  question  but  the  orders  to 
General  French  were  very  difficult  of  execution.  General 
Prince,  who  commanded  the  leading  division,  was  dilatory  and 
slow.  General  French  encountered  and  fought  a  division  of 
Ewell's  Corps  on  the  27th.  He  reached  Robertson's  Tavern 
on  the  morning  of  the  28th.  General  French  was  one  of  the  old 
officers  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  made  a  Major- 
General  in  November,  1862.  He  was  severely  criticized  for 
his. lack  of  resolution  and  energy  in  this  campaign.  He  was 
relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Third  Corps  the  following 
March  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  as  a  Major-General 
of  Volunteers  on  May  6th,  1864. 

From  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Regiment  hear  Robert 
son's  Tavern,  it  formed  in  line  of  battle,  supporting  Battery  B, 
First  Rhode  Island,  where  it  remained  until  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  Regiment  then  advanced  to  the  front,  support 
ing  the  skirmish  line  consisting  of  parts  of  the  First  Minnesota, 
Eighty-second  New  York  and  Fifteenth  Massachussetts.  It 
was  here  that  Lieutenant  Colonel  Joslin  of  the  Fifteenth  Massa 
chusetts,  was  taken  prisoner  while  advancing  his  skirmish  line 
through  the  woods.  He  was  detained  in  prison  until  August 
of  the  next  year,  when  he  was  exchanged  and  mustered  out  of 
service,  his  regiment  having  already  been  mustered  out.  Col 
onel  Joslin  was  very  highly  esteemed  by  the  men  of  his  regiment. 
At  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the  men  went  upon  the  skirmish  line, 
where  they  remained  all  night  without  sleep.  We  were  on  the 
edge  of  dense  woods  and  the  Confederate  skirmishers  were  only 
a  few  rods  distant  from  our  line.  In  the  early  morning  of  the 
28th,  the  Regiments  of  our  Brigade  were  converted  into  a  skir 
mish  line  and  occupied  the  extreme  right  of  the  Division. 

The  Third  Brigade  connected  with  our  left.  The  whole 
line  was  then  advanced  some  two  or  three  miles  through  a 
group  of  pines  very  difficult  to  penetrate.  The  advancing  troops 
soon  came  in  sight  of  Mine  Run.  We  remained  here  until  two 
or  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  without  fires  and  in  a  cold 
drenching  rain  storm.  Our  Regiment  was  relieved  here  by  a 
portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps. 


Major  David  E.  Parsons. 


BACK   TO    THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  I  \J 

We  were  now  near  the  western  confines  of  that  Wilderness 
region  of  which  Chancellorsville  is  near  the  eastern  border. 
Mine  Run  rises  south  of  the  Orange  turnpike  and  runs  almost 
directly  north  through  a  valley  skirted  on  either  side  by  hills, 
and  empties  into  the  Rapidan  about  half  way  between  Jacob's 
Ford  and  Mitchell's  Ford  on  that  river.  The  valley  through 
which  it  runs  was  in  places  swampy  and  difficult  or  impossible 
for  soldiers  to  cross.  At  the  place  were  Mine  Run  flows  perpen 
dicularly  across  the  Orange  turnpike  and  plank  road,  these  two 
roads  are  less  than  three  miles  apart. 

Upon  the  request  of  General  Warren,  he  was  authorized 
to  take  the  Second  Corps  and  Terry's  Division  of  the  Sixth 
Corps  and  make  a  reconnoissance  to  the  left  and  around  the 
right  flank  of  Lee's  army.  This  increased  Warren's  command 
to  about  eighteen  thousand  men.  We  withdrew  from  the  line 
of  battle  at  daylight  on  November  29th,  marched  back  on  the 
turnpike  to  Robertson's  Tavern  and  then  turned  south,  striking 
the  Orange  turnpike  somewhat  west  of  Parker's  store.  We 
then  marched  west  and  soon  reached  the  cavalry  outposts  of 
General  Gregg.  Caldwell's  Division  was  ordered  to  the  front 
and  the  Confederates  were  pushed  back  some  two  or  three  miles 
and  across  Mine  Run.  The  Regiment  was  not  engaged  this  day 
and  the  men  bivouacked  here  that  night.  General  Warren  was 
further  reinforced  during  the  night  of  the  29th  by  two  Divisions 
of  the  Third  Corps.  We  advanced  and  formed  in  line  of  battle 
at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  the  3oth  of  November.  Our 
Brigade  was  formed  between  the  railroad  grade  and  the  plank 
road.  General  Hays'  Division  joined  us  on  the  left  and  a 
division  of  the  Third  Corps  on  our  right.  A  division  of  the 
Sixth  Corps  was  south  of  the  Catharpin  road  leading  from 
Todd's  Tavern  and  the  extreme  left  of  our  line.  We  were 
formed  in  three  lines  of  battle,  ready  to  assault  the  enemy's 
breastworks.  The  First  Minnesota  was  on  the  skirmish  line. 
The  Fifteenth  Massachusetts  and  Nineteenth  Maine  were  in 
the  first  line  of  battle.  The  orders  were  to  unsling  knapsacks, 
fix  bayonets  and  prepare  to  storm  the  strong  intrenchents  of 
of  the  enemy  in  front. 


Il8  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

JT'  All  night  long  we  could  hear  the  Confederates  chopping 
down  trees,  giving  commands  and  building  breastworks.  It 
had  become  intensely  cold.  When  the  morning  dawned  such 
a  sight  presented  itself  as  to  cause  the  men's  faces  to  grow  pale. 
The  enemy  had  reinforced  the  part  of  their  line  in  our  front. 
Strong  breastworks  and  abattis  had  been  constructed.  Their 
cannon  commanded  every  square  foot  of  ground  between  our 
line  and  theirs.  The  enemy  occupied  a  naturally  strong  posi 
tion.  Without  any  opposition,  it  would  have  taken  our  men 
eight  or  ten  minutes  to  run  up  the  hill  and  to  climb  into  their 
intrenchments.  Not  a  gun  was  fired  in  front  of  our  position, 
but  many  of  the  Confederates  stood  on  top  of  their  breastworks 
looking  down  upon  us,  as  much  as  inviting  us  to  go  up  the  hill. 
The  boys  talked  in  low  tones  to  one  another.  Messages  were 
confidentially  given  and  received,  to  be  sent  home  in  case  of 
death.  Many  of  the  soldiers  pinned  their  names  and  the 
names  of  the  organizations  to  which  they  belonged,  upon 
their  coats  for  identification  in  case  they  were  killed. 

At  a  reunion  of  the  survivors  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine 
Regiment  at  Richmond,  in  1878,  the  late  Colonel  William  H. 
Fogler  gave  a  very  vivid  description  of  our  perilous  position 
at  Mine  Run.  It  is  here  inserted: 

"Let  me  recall  a  scene.  It  is  night;  a  dark,  bitter  night,  in  the 
late  autumn.  Already  the  biting  winds  of  winter  are  sweeping  over 
hill  and  plain,  freezing  the  warm  blood  as  it  courses  through  the  veins, 
and  even  casting  its  chill  upon  the  very  hearts  of  men.  In  front 
sharply  rises  a  steep,  almost  precipitous  hill.  Upon  its  crest  the  hands 
of  the  enemy  have  raised  a  massive  breastwork,  strengthened  by 
fascine  and  gabion,  and  all  the  skill  and  energy  of  which  men  are 
capable.  Upon  right  and  left,  in  front,  along  the  whole  long  line  of 
works,  the  deep  cannons'  mouth  cast  their  terrible  frown  down  the 
long  hill-side,  threatening  death  to  all  who  dare  approach  the  strong 
hold.  The  steep  slope  which  extends  from  the  plain  below  to  the 
threatening  crest  above,  is  netted  by  moat  and  ditch  and  thickly  set 
with  abattis,  and  all  those  fearful  contrivances  through  which  men 
must  cut  their  way  in  order  to  reach  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  works. 
Through  the  long  night  the  sound  of  spade  and  axe,  and  the  moving 
of  artiillery,  show  that  the  enemy  is  adding  to  the  strength  of  his 
already  well-nigh  impregnable  position.  Upon  the  plain  below  is  our 
own  army.  Each  regiment  is  placed  in  position  for  attack  upon  the 
enemy's  works.  Knapsack  and  blanket  are  piled  in  the  rear,  that 
they  may  not  impede  the  progress  of  the  men  up  the  fearful  hillside. 

Though  hunger  calls  for  food,  no  meal  can  be  prepared,  for  the  fires 
necessary  for  the  purpose  would  show  our  position  and  our  numbers 
to  the  watchful  enemy ;  though  the  cold  winds  freeze  the  very  marrow, 


BACK   TO    THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  I  19 

no  friendly  fire  can  restore  warmth  to  the  chilled  limbs;  though  the 
drooping  eyelids  call  pitifully  for  sleep,  each  soldier  knows  that  to 
sleep  uncovered  in  that  bitter  air  would  be  the  sleep  of  death;  though 
every  muscle  has  been  taxed  to  exhaustion  by  the  long  weary  march 
of  the  preceding  day,  no  rest  can  be  had,  for  only  by  constant  motion 
can  the  men  avoid  perishing  with  the  cold.  'At  daylight  the  enemy's 
works  are  to  be  carried  by  assault.'  Such  is  the  order  of  the  com 
manding  general.  Every  man  understands  the  full  meaning  of  that 
short  but  fearful  order.  It  means  that  when  the  signal  is  given,  they 
must  rush  with  the  impetuosity  of  wild  beasts  into  that  fearful  thicket 
with  which  military  art  has  studded  the  hill-side,  and  with  axes, 
bayonets,  with  their  torn,  bleeding,  bare  hands,  they  must  tear  a 
way  through  the  very  top.  That  when  that  terrible  advance  begins 
along  the  long  line  of  works,  the  artillery  will  hurl  its  iron  storm,  and 
musketry  will  pour  its  leaden  hail.  That  when  the  crest  is  reached 
a  hand  to  hand  contest  will  take  place,  bayonet  will  clash  on  bayonet ; 
clubbed  musket  will  deal  thick  blows  about,  and  foes  perhaps  clinch 
each  other  in  a  death  struggle.  That  thus  shall  the  battle  rage  until 
adown  the  hillside  our  shattered,  almost  exterminated  line  will  be 
hurled  in  utter  defeat;  or  up  the  rampart  shall  be  flung  the  glorious 
Stars  and  Stripes,  and  the  exulting  shout  of  victory  shall  ring  from 
the  hilltop.  This  every  soldier  knows  is  what  awaits  him  at  the 
breaking  of  the  storm.  At  daybreak  the  enemy's  works  are  to  be 
assaulted  He  knows  that  upon  thousands  of  his  comrades,  perhaps, 
and  likely  upon  himself,  the  bright  sun  has  risen  for  the  last  time; 
that  his  next  beams  will  fall  upon  heaps  of  dead;  that  his  rising  shall 
be  heralded  by  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded  and  the  moans  of  the  dying. 
And  so,  the  long  night  passes  slowly  away,  each  man  waiting  and 
watching  to  catch  the  first  glimmer  in  the  east,  which  may  be  the 
signal  of  his  own  death.  Thoughts  of  home,  of  loved  ones,  of  his 
childhood  scenes — O  God !  what  thoughts  do  not  press  upon  his  weary 
heart  and  brain.  We  read  of  heads  turned  white  by  a  single  night  of 
terror;  that  with  the  knowledge  that  death  comes  with  the  morrow, 
reason  has  deserted  her  throne,  and  the  wretched  man  has  become  a 
raging  maniac.  But  yet  those  men,  through  the  long  hours  of  the 
night,  look  coolly  in  the  face  of  death.  To  but  a  few  does  there  come 
any  thought  of  escaping  the  responsibilities  and  dangers  of  the  coming 
morn." 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see,  General  Warren  was 
observed  walking  along  in  front  of  our  lines  of  battle  eagerly 
scanning,  through  a  field  glass,  the  Confederate  position.  He 
was  accompanied  by  a  single  staff-officer.  The  Confederate 
works  were  about  as  strong  as  field  works  could  be  made. 
Opposite  our  Division  sixteen  cannon  were  disclosed,  ten  of 
which  were  in  an  embrasure,  with  an  abattis,  ditch  and  rifle 
pits  in  front.  The  cold  had  become  almost  unbearable,  it  hav 
ing  steadily  grown  colder  during  the  hours  of  the  night.  It 
was  said  that  General  Warren  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  upon  the  line  of  battle.  He  decided  that  under  existing 
conditions  the  attack  would  be  useless.  He  assumed  the  re- 


I2O  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

sponsibility  of  declining  to  make  an  assault  upon  the  Confeder 
ate  works  and  so  notified  General  Meade.  In  this  act,  General 
Warren  displayed  a  high  degree  of  moral  courage.  His  position 
was  unanimously  indorsed  by  his  soldiers,  not  in-spoken  words, 
but  in  lightened  hearts  and  cheerful  faces.  A  sigh  of  relief  and 
a  silent  prayer  of  thanksgiving  went  up  from  the  hearts  of  the 
men  in  the  line  that  morning. 

General  Sedgwick  had  found  what  he  thought  was  a  weak 
place  in  the  enemy's  lines  opposite  our  extreme  right.  He 
was  to  attack  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  General 
Warren's  attack  was  to  follow  a  half  hour  later.  The  booming 
of  Sedgwick's  guns  was  heard  on  the  right.  The  cannonading 
came  down  the  lines  toward  the  left,  but  Warren's  guns  were 
silent.  Later  Sedgwick  was  ordered  to  suspend  active  opera 
tions. 

The  Regiment  remained  in  line  all  day.  At  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening  the  Nineteenth  was  ordered  forward,  deployed 
and  advanced  to  relieve  the  skirmish  line  in  front.  The  suffer 
ing  of  the  men  during  the  long  hours  of  the  bitterly  cold  night 
was  intense.  The  Regiment  was  relieved  on  the  skirmish 
line  on  the  morning  of  December  ist,  by  the  Forty-second 
New  York,  and  rejoined  the  Brigade  in  the  rear.  Early  in  the 
afternoon,  the  Nineteenth,  with  the  Brigade,  advanced  to  the 
front,  south  of  the  railroad  grade,  near  the  Grasty  House  and 
threw  up  breastworks.  At  half  past  eight  o'clock  on  the  night 
of  the  ist,  a  detail  was  made  from  some  of  the  regiments  in  the 
Division  to  remain  and  keep  up  the  fires  in  order  to  deceive 
the  enemy,  remaining  until  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Be 
tween  eight  and  nine  o'clock  the  Regiment  took  up  the  home 
ward  march,  left  in  front,  along  the  plank  road.  Our  Division 
was  in  the  rear  and  our  Brigade  was  in  the  center  of  the  Divi 
sion.  We  passed  New  Hope  Church  and  Parker's  store  and 
then  struck  into  the  wood  road  or  cart  path  leading  northward 
and  came  out  at  the  old  Wilderness  Tavern.  We  marched  all 
night,  reaching  the  river  at  Culpepper  Mine  Ford  about  ten 
o'clock  the  next  morning.  Some  of  the  men  who  were  left  to 
keep  up  the  fires  were  captured  and  some  escaped  to  the  river  and 
landed  safely  on  the  north  bank.  When  we  came  in  sight  of  the 


BACK   TO  THE   RAPPAHANNOCK  121 

Rapidan,  a  band  on  the  north  bank  was  playing  '"Oh!  Ain't 
you  glad  you  got  out  of  the  Wilderness" !  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Cunningham  in  his  report  states  that  "this  made  two  nights 
in  succession  which  the  men  and  the  officers  had  passed  without 
sleep."  Men  marched  in  the  ranks  that  night  in  a  half  uncon 
scious  condition,  would  fall  exhausted  by  the  roadside  and  be 
sound  asleep  as  soon  as  they  touched  the  ground.  It  required 
vigorous  persuasion  and  almost  brutal  force  to  waken  the 
men  and  induce  them  to  resume  the  march.  At  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon  of  December  2nd,  our  Division  was  massed 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Rappahannock  and  rested  for  an 
hour  and  a  half.  After  the  pontoon  bridges  had  been 
taken  up,  scouting  parties  from  the  Confederate  cavalry  ap 
peared,  cautiously  approaching  the  south  bank  of  the  river. 
A  few  shells  were  sent  after  them,  which  caused  their  sudden 
disappearance.  We  arrived  at  our  old  encampment  at  9  p.m. 
December  2nd,  and  found  to  our  great  disappointment  that 
our  old  log  houses  had  been  burned.  "Our  army  swore  ter 
ribly  in  Flanders,"  would  feebly  describe  the  language  of  the 
Second  Corps  that  night.  We  had  marched  for  24  hours  with 
out  halting  except  to  stop  for  breakfast  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Rapidan.  Col.  Cunningham  reported  when  we  arrived  in 
camp,  that  "for  sixty-six  hours  the  men  of  my  Regiment  had 
but  ten  hours  and  a  half  rest."  We  had  been  absent  on  this 
campaign  for  seven  days  and  nights. 

The  Mine  Run  campaign  was  ended.  The  army  had 
marched  and  counter-marched  and  manoeuvred  to  no  purpose. 
To  be  sure  it  had  lost  little,  but  it  had  gained  nothing.  It 
had  consumed  time  and  wasted  energy,  but  had  gained  no  ap 
preciable  advantage. 

During  this  campaign  our  Division  had  been  commanded 
by  General  Webb  and  our  Brigade  by  Colonel  Baxter,  of  the 
Seventy-second  Pennsylvania  Infantry. 

The  losses  in  the  Nineteenth  Maine  in  the  Mine  Run 
expedition  were  very  small.  They  were  as  follows:  Irad  M. 
Henderson,  Company  B,  wounded  November  2yth.  Isaac 
L.  Sanborn  and  Simon  H.  Willey,  Company  E,  were  taken 


122  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

prisoners  of  war.     Dennis  Cleary,  of  Company   I,  was   also 
taken  prisoner. 

The  men  of  the  Regiment  went  immediately  to  building 
winter  quarters  and  had  just  got  them  fairly  contpleted,  when, 
on  December  6th,  we  moved  over  some  six  miles  toward  Brandy 
Station,  and  on  the  yth  we  moved  up  near  Stevensburg,  where 
we  finally  settled  for  the  winter. 

Colonel  Heath  resigned  on  November  4th,  and  a  numerous 
ly  signed  petition  was  forwarded  by  the  officers  of  the  Regiment 
to  the  Governor  of  Maine,  requesting  him  to  appoint  Captain 
Fogler  to  the  vacant  colonelcy.  Quartermaster  James  W. 
Wakefield  resigned  November  i3th,  1863,  and  First  Lieutenant 
Albert  Hunter,  of  Company  H,  was  promoted  to  that  position. 
Captain  George  L.  Whitmore,  of  Company  C,  who  had  been 
absent  from  the  Regiment  since  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
resigned  November  yth,  and  First  Lieutenant  Charles  E.  Nash 
of  Company  F,  was  promoted  December  i8th  to  be  Captain  of 
Company  C.  First  Lieutenant  Albion  Whitten,  of  Company  C, 
resigned  November  lyth,  and  Second  Lieutenant  William  H. 
Emery,  of  the  same  company,  was  promoted  to  be  Captain. 
Second  Lieutenant  Joseph  L.  Clark,  Company  I,  resigned 
November  30th,  and  Sergeant  Lafayette  Carver,  of  Company 
I,  was  promoted  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  of  that  Company. 
Second  Lieutenant  Charles  P.  Garland,  Company  H,  was  pro 
moted  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant  of  the  same  Company 
December  13.  Second  Lieutenant  George  R.  Palmer,  Comp 
any  I,  was  promoted  to  be  First  Lieutenant  of  that  Company, 
October  19,  1863. 

Nothwithstanding  the  many  changes  in  the  officers  of  our 
Regiment  since  its  organization,  the  changes  in  the  general 
officers  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been  still  more  marked. 
Out  of  forty  or  more  general  officers  who  had  commands  under 
McClellan  on  the  Peninsula,  only  about  eight  remained.  Meade 
Hancock,  Sedgwick,  Birney,  Sykes,  Newton,  Caldwell  and 
French  were  still  with  us.  The  last  four  of  these  eight,  however, 
left  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  within  the  next  two  or  three 
months. 


BACK   TO  THE    RAPPAHANNOCK  123 

It  was  very  different  in  the  Confederate  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.  When  vacancies  occurred  in  that  army  from  any 
cause,  promotions  were  made  from  the  same  organization, 
officers  who  had  shown  their  fitness  to  command,  filled  such 
vacancies.  Their  brigades  were  generally  made  up  with  regi 
ments  from  the  same  state.  This  produced  a  wholesome  rivalry 
among  the  brigades  and  counted  for  much.  At  the  north  we 
multiplied  regiments,  while  the  Confederates  used  new  soldiers 
to  fill  up  old  organizations.  Then,  as  a  rule,  the  Confederate 
brigades  were  named  for  their  commanders.  The  Stonewall 
Brigade  and  Mahone's  Brigade  meant  Virginia  troops.  Dan 
iel's  Brigade  was  composed  of  North  Carolina,  and  Jenkins' 
Brigade  of  South  Carolina  soldiers.  Wafford's  Brigade,  signi 
fied  Georgia  troops  and  Law's  Brigade,  Alabama  troops.  Hum 
phreys'  Brigade  was  composed  of  Mississippi  and  Hays'  Bri 
gade  of  Louisiana  regiments,  and  so  on. 

During  the  autumn  the  Brigade  and  some  times  the  Divi 
sion,  were  ordered  out  with  sickening  frequency  to  witness  the 
execution  of  men  by  shooting  or  hanging.  Desertion  was  the 
common  offense  of  these  unfortunates.  It  was  regarded  as 
necessary  that  the  faithful  soldiers  should  witness  the 
deserter's  ignominious  death  as  an  object  lesson  or  warning. 
This  relic  of  barbarism  is  still  cherished  in  some  of  the  states. 
To  illustrate  its  deterrent  effect,  within  two  days  after  one  of 
these  shooting  parties,  four  soldiers  were  reported  as  deserting  to 
the  enemy  from  the  same  regiment  to  which  the  dead  deserter 
belonged.  In  the  month  of  August  we  were  compelled  to  witness 
the  shooting  of  a  soldier  for  desertion  from  the  Twentieth 
Massachusetts.  The  Twentieth  was  known  as  the  Harvard 
University  Regiment.  As  shown  by  its  History  recently  pub 
lished,  there  were  190  desertions  from  this  regiment.  The 
History  of  the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts  records  150  desertions, 
while  the  Seventh  Michigan  had  only  about  forty.  These  regi 
ments  all  belonged  to  our  Division.  The  story  of  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  is  not  marred  by  the  recital  of  the  execution  of  any  of 
its  soldiers.  No  member  of  the  Regiment  was  ever  put  to  death 
by  military  authority.  Only  thirty-five  of  its  members  were 
guilty  of  desertion,  and  some  of  these  were  probably  captured 


124  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

by  the  enemy  instead  of  having  deserted.  Verv  likely  the  same 
is  true  with  respect  to  the  other  regiments  here  named.  It  will 
be  said,  however,  that  the  appalling  figures  of  desertion  from 
the  Twentieth  Massachusetts  is  accounted  for  by"  the  character 
of  the  recruits  received  into  that  regiment.  It  is  not  clear  that 
the  recruits  sent  to  the  Massachusetts  regiments  differed 
greatly  in  character  from  those  sent  to  the  Maine  regiments. 

It  was  a  fact  as  notorious  as  it  was  shameful  that  soldiers 
on  the  fatiguing  march,  fainting  by  the  roadside  or  compelled 
by  utter  exhaustion  to  leave  the  ranks,  were  generally  reported 
as  deserters.  These  men  were  no  more  deserters  than  the 
commanding  officers  of  the  companies  who  so  reported  them. 
To  illustrate  what  is  meant,  James  O.  Stevens  on  the  distressing 
march  from  Manassas  Gap  to  White  Plains,  July  25th,  1863, 
collapsed  and  sank  by  the  roadside.  He  had  been  in  poor 
health  since  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  but 
refused  to  go  to  the  hospital.  The  boys  of  his  company  carried 
his  rifle  and  his  blankets,  for  a  while  on  this  march,  to  relieve 
him.  There  were  no  ambulances  following  our  Division  that 
day.  Stevens  was  picked  up  by  Mosby's  guerrillas,  and  sent 
to  Richmond,  where  he  died  in  Libby  Prison,  February  22nd, 
1864.  He  was  a  young  man  of  good  education  and  excellent 
character.  On  the  muster  roll  of  August  3ist,  1863,  the  follow 
ing  record  is  made  on  the  company  roll:  "James  O.  Stevens 
deserted  service  July  25th,  1863,  on  the  march  from  Manassas 
Gap  to  White  Plains,  Va.  Took  one  Springfield  rifle  and  set 
of  equipments  with  him,  value  $22.60.  Also  one  knapsack,  one 
haversack  and  one  canteen,  value  $3.  14."  Independently  of 
what  military  regulations  required,  this  record  made  against 
Stevens  was  an  inexcusable  outrage.  The  muster-rolls  and 
other  records  of  the  Regiment  show  that  this  is  by  no  means 
an  isolated  case.  It  was  so  much  easier  to  mark  a  man  a 
deserter  on  the  rolls  than  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  finding  out, 
by  inquiry,  what  had  become  of  him! 

John  Foley  was  captured  in  the  Wilderness,  Isaac  L,  San- 
bosn  and  S.  H.  Willey  at  Mine  Run.  These  three  men  be 
longed  to  Company  E.  James  Ballard  was  captured  at  Jeru 
salem  Plank  Road  and  James  Hammond  on  the  march  to 


Adoniram  J.   Billings,    Surgeon. 


BACK    TO    THE    RAPPAKANNOCK  125 

Bristoe  Station.  These  two  men  belonged  to  Company  G. 
Mark  S.  Babb  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  Wilderness  and 
Charles  Prescott  on  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road;  both  men  be 
longed  to  Company  H.  John  Anderson,  of  Company  I,  was 
captured  at  some  unknown  place.  Henry  Roberts,  of  Company 
K,  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  vicinity  of  Bristoe  Station.  All 
of  these  men,  and  others  not  enuumerated  here,  were  marked 
on  their  company  muster  rolls  as  deserters,  and  all  of  them 
died,  after  long  confmemet,  in  Confederate  prisons. 

The  early  months  of  the  winter  spent  on  Cole's  Hill  near 
Stevensburg  were  in  pleasant  contrast  to  the  gloomy  encamp 
ment  the  preceding  winter  at  Falmouth.  Profiting  by  experi 
ence,  the  men  were  enabled  to  build  substantial  quarters  and 
live  more  comfortably.  The  rations  issued  to  the  men  were 
much  better.  Many  of  them  had  boxes  sent  to  them  from  home, 
by  express,  containing  eatables,  underclothing,  boots  and  other 
luxuries.  Then  too,  the  original  members  of  the  Regiment 
had  become  acclimated.  Orders  were  issued  in  December 
permitting  furloughs  to  be  granted  to  officers  and  men  for  fifteen 
days.  Many  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity. 

Adoniram  J.  Billings,  the  Surgeon  of  the  Regiment,  was 
discharged  for  disability  January  nth,  1864.  At  the  reunion 
of  the  Regiment  at  Bath,  in  1874,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spauld- 
ing  made  the  following  statement  with  regard  to  the  character 
and  worth  of  Surgeon  Billings,  a  tribute  to  that  man  which  a 
large  portion  of  the  Regiment  will  gladly  indorse.  '-'I  want 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  efficiency  of  that  officer  whose  per 
plexing  duties  surpassed  all  others  at  this  camp,  who  was 
compelled  to  battle  diseased  bodies  and  minds  in  all  shapes 
and  forms  and  conditions,  requiring  often  the  use  of  harsh  and 
severe  treatment  and  language  as  the  only  remedy,  though 
applied  at  the  risk  of  placing  himself  in  a  false  position  before 
men  whose  esteem  he  or  any  one  would  regard  of  great  value. 
I  believe  the  Regiment  was  indebted  more  than  can  ever  be 
known  or  told,  to  the  skill  of  the  Surgeon  whose  large  and 
patriotic  heart  was  continually  pained  and  lashed  almost  be 
yond  endurance  by  the  duties  he  was  called  on  to  perform, 
and  the  emergencies  of  that  early  winter's  camp.  Justice  has 


126  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

never  been  accorded  to  Dr.  Billings;  it  never  can  be.  1  know 
(in  the  same  way  I  know  this  earth  revolves  upon  its  axis, 
that  the  blood  circulates  in  this  right  arm,  that  God  rules 
over  all)  that  no  mora  patriotic,  efficient  and -large  hearted 
surgeon  ever  entered  the  army  than  the  first  surgeon  of  the 
Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers." 

A  considerable  number  of  men  from  the  Regiment  went 
to  Washington  to  be  examined  for  promotion  as  officers  of 
Negro  regiments,  and  some  where  successful.  An  order  was 
issued  from  Corps  headquarters  to  the  effect  that  the  Govern 
ment  desired  to  procure  the  services  of  members  who  were 
experienced  seamen  to  serve  in  the  Western  gunboat  flotilla. 
Few  "old  salts"  were  found  who  cared  to  make  the  change. 
Details  for  picket  were  made  for  a  period  of  three  days  on 
account  of  the  distance  to  be  travelled,  so  the  boys  were  not 
called  upon  very  often.  There  were  regular  company  and 
battalion  drills  daily  or  reviews  when  the  weather  permitted. 

On  the  23rd  of  February,  our  Corps  and  Kilpatrick's 
Division  of  cavalry  were  reviewed  by  General  Meade.  Many 
officers  of  distinction  were  present  to  witness  the  marching 
troops.  It  was  rather  an  imposing  sight. 

Early  in  February,  it  was  planned  that  General  Butler, 
commanding  the  Army  of  the  James,  should  attempt  to  cap 
ture  Richmond  by  moving  rapidly  upon  it,  from  the  south. 
No  one  ever  expected  that  he  would  succeed,  and  in  this  no  one 
was  disappointed.  It  became  necessary,  however,  to  assume 
an  aggressive  attitude  on  the  Rapidan,  in  order  to  keep  Lee 
from  sending  troops  to  Richmond.  So  on  the  morning  of 
February  6th,  the  Second  Corps,  under  command  of  General 
Caldwell — General  Warren  being  ill  at  the  time  the  Corps 
started  out — moved  down  to  Morton's  Ford  on  the  Rapidan. 
The  enemy  had  a  picket  line  along  the  southern  bank  of  the 
river  and  a  small  force  of  men  in  rifle  pits  at  the  Ford.  There 
was  a  small  island  near  the  middle  of  the  river.  General  Hays, 
commanding  the  Third  Division  of  our  Corps,  sent  a  brigade 
across  and  nearly  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  at  the  Ford  was 
captured  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  The  other  two  Brigades 
of  the  Third  Division  were  then  sent  across.  Major-General 


BACK    TO   THE    RAFPAHANNOCK  12J 

Warren  came  up  and  resumed  command  of  the  Corps  late  in 
the  day.  Our  Brigade  was  ordered  across  the  river  at  7  o'clock 
at  night,  Colonel  Baxter  in  command.  Captain  William  H. 
Fogler  was  in  command  of  the  Regiment,  and  his  report  of  this 
affair  is  herewith  appended. 

"We  left  our  present  camp  at  7  a.  m.  February  6,  1864  the  third 
Regiment  of  the  Brigade  in  the  line  of  march.  Were  moved  to  a  point 
near  Morton's  Ford,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Rapidan;  arrived  there 
about  11  a.m.  Remained  in  line  with  the  rest  of  the  Brigade  during 
the  passage  of  the  Third  Division  across  the  river,  and  until  dark, 
when  we  received  orders  to  cross  the  river  at  the  bridge,  which  was 
accomplished.  We  were  placed  in  position  on  the  left  of  the  Fif 
teenth  Massachusetts  Regiment  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river,  and 
some  10  rods  to  the  right  of  the  road,  which  runs  perpendicularly 
to  the  river  from  the  bridge.  At  once  received  orders  to  place  skir 
mishers  100  yards  in;our  front,  which  was  done,  Companies  D, Lieuten 
ant  Pierce,  and  F,  Captain  Starbird,  commanding,  being  selected  for 
that  duty.  About  9  p.m.  received  orders  to  detail  two  companies  for 
same  duty,  who  were  to  be  deployed  on  the  right  of  the  Eighty-second 
New  York's  detail  of  skirmishers,  and  to  extend  from  their  line  to  the 
river  at  a  point  about  80  rods  above  the  bridge.  Companies  B,  Cap 
tain  Parsons,  and  G,  Captain  Whitehouse,  were  detailed  for  this  pur 
pose,  and  reported  to  a  staff  officer  of  brigade,  who  conducted  them  to 
their  position. 

"About  10:30  p.  m.  I  received  orders  from  Colonel  Baxter,  com 
manding  Brigade,  to  deploy  the  remaining  six  companies  as  skir 
mishers  on  the  left  of  the  Fifteenth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  which 
had  previously  been  deployed.  Our  line  was  to  extend  from  the 
large  house  just  in  front  of  the  left  of  the  line  of  the  Fifteenth  Massa 
chusetts  to  the  house  on  the  hill,  to  the  left  of  the  main  road  before 
mentioned,  our  line  running  across  the  open  field.  This  order  was 
executed  as  soon  as  practicable. 

"At  1  a.  m.  of  the  7th  instant,  received  orders  to  fall  back,  form 
the  Regiment,  and  return  to  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  I  did  so  with 
four  companies,  the  other  two  having  been  taken  by  Colonel  Baxter 
for  the  following  duties :  Company  C,  Captain  Nash,  to  remain  on  the 
original  skirmish  line,  with  instruction  to  fall  back  if  pressed  hard 
before  two  hours,  and  to  return  at  any  rate  at  the  expiration  of  that 
time  to  the  north  bank  of  the  river  and  rejoin  the  Regiment.  Company 
A,  Captain  Spaulding,  was  directed  to  form  a  line  near  the  bridge,  on 
the  left  of  the  road,  to  support  the  skirmishers,  and  to  remain  until 
the  skirmish  line  fell  back.  At  2  a.m.  we  were  in  our  first  position  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  river.  The  companies  that  were  left  on  the 
other  side  rejoined  the  regiment  about  3  a.m.  We  occupied  this  line 
until  7  p.m.,  when  we  received  orders  to  return  to  camp,  where  we 
arrived  at  10  p.m. 

"Our  whole  loss  was  2  men  wounded;  none  killed  or  missing. 
Both  men  wounded  were  hit  while  crossing  the  bridge  by  stray  bullets. 

"The  conduct  of  both  officers  and  men  of  the  entire  Regiment  was 
excellent  throughout." 

The  squad  of  men  which  Captain  Nash  commanded  came 
near  being  captured  when  they  started  to  return  across  the 


128  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

river.  The  only  loss  in  the  Brigade  occurred  in  our  Regiment. 
The  casualties  in  the  Nineteenth  were  James  F.  Chase,  private, 
Company  F,  wounded;  Sergeant  James  N.  Hinckley,  Company 
K,  mortally  wounded;  Sergeant  Hinckley  died  ^ebruary 


BATTLE   OF   THE    WILDERNESS  129 


CHAPTER  VII. 
BATTLE  OF  THE  WILDERNESS. 

A  slender  vine  on  an  old  oak  hung 
And  clasped  its  scaly  rind; 
From  trunk  to  top  its  pennons  flung 
And  laughed  to  scorn  the  wind. 

And  men,  who  passed  the  way  along, 
Admired,   and  oft  would  speak 
Of  the  kindly  law  that  gave  the  strong 
To  aid  and  shield  the  weak. 

Indeed  it  was  as  fair  a  sight 
As  any  in  the  land, 
To  see  the  puny  parasite 
Upborne  by  tree  so  grand. 

One  day  the  vine  in  anger  said, 

"My  tendrils  I'll  untie 

ALONE,   aloft  I'll  rear  my  head 
And  leave  the  oak  to  die." 

The  winds  were  out,  and  strong  they  grew 
And    hurtled    through    the    air; 
They  whistled  and  blew  the  old  oak  through 
And  laid  its  branches  bare. 

The  tempest  ceased;  its  rage  was  o'er; 
Gaily  the   sun   did   shine; 

The  sturdy  oak  stood  as  before 

Low  lay  the  lifeless  vine. 

The  above  lines  were  written  soon  after  the  secession  of 
South  Carolina  from  the  Union  and  were  published  in  Vanity 
Fair,  early  in  February  1861.  Their  author  was  Selden  Connor, 
a  young  man  twenty-two  years  of  age,  just  out  of  college  and 
then  absent  from  his  native  state,  studying  law  at  Woodstock, 
Vermont.  Young  Connor  enlisted  and  served  as  a  Sergeant  in 
the  First  Vermont — a  three  months  Regiment.  He  then 
returned  to  Maine  and  was  elected  by  the  officers  and  com 
missioned,  without  his  solicitation,  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
the  Seventh  Maine  Regiment. 

General  Hyde,  who  was  an  officer  of  the  same  Regiment, 
and  author  of  the  admirable  little  volume,  "Following  the 


13°  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Greek  Cross,"  makes  this  suggestive  comment,  "that  in  the 
election  of  Selden  Connor  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  we  made  no 
mistake." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Connor  commanded  the  Seventh  a 
portion  of  the  time  in  the  Peninsula  campaign,  and  at  the  storm 
ing  of  Marye's  Heights  in  May  1863,  when  he  and  his  regiment 
were  complimented  by  General  L.  A.  Grant,  in  his  report  of 
that  engagement,  for  the  "gallant  manner"  in  which  they  came 
to  his  aid.  He  also  commanded  the  Seventh  in  the  Gettysburg 
Campaign. 

He  was  on  duty  in  Portland,  Maine,  in  the  fall  of  1863  as 
a  member  of  the  general  court-martial,  of  which  Colonel  Hiram 
Burnham  was  president.  Captain  J.  H.  Roberts,  of  the  Eighth 
Maine,  a  member  of  the  court,  said  to  Colonel  Connor  one 
morning:  "  I  went  to  Augusta  yesterday  and  you  cannot  guess 
what  I  went  for.  I  went  to  ask  the  Governor  to  appoint  you 
Colonel  of  my  regiment.  Governor  Coburn  said  he  would  ap 
point  Colonel  Connor  to  the  next  colonelcy,  whether  it  should 
be  the  Eighth  or  the  Eighteenth."  The  next  vacancy  hap 
pened  in  the  Nineteenth,  by  the  resignation  of  Colonel  Francis 
E.  Heath,  and  the  Governor  true  to  his  word,  appointed  Col 
onel  Connor  to  fill  the  vacancy  on  the  ist  of  December,  1863. 
He  was  retained  on  duty  in  Portland  until,  in  response  to  re 
peated  requests  for  orders  to  join  his  regiment,  he  was  ordered 
to  the  front,  where  he  arrived  on  the  25th  of  February,  1864. 

Colonel  Connor's  reputation  had  preceeded  him.  The 
soldiers  of  the  regiment  expected  great  things  from  him,  and 
they  were  not  disappointed.  His  dignified  bearing,  his  constant 
solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  his  soldiers,  and  his  coolness  and 
bravery  in  action  won  their  confidence  and  esteem,  which  he 
always  retained. 

By  virtue  of  Colonel  Connor's  rank,  he  was  at  once  placed 
in  command  of  the  Brigade,  which  then  consisted  of  only  four 
regiments — the  Nineteenth  Maine,  Fifteenth  Massachusetts, 
Eighty-second  New  York  and  I52nd  New  York.  The  last  of 
March,  the  First  Corps  was  consolidated  with  the  Fifth,  the 
Third  Division  of  the  Third  Corps  with  the  Sixth  Corps  and 
the  First  and  Second  Divisions  of  the  Third  Corps  with  the 


BATTLE    OF    THE    WILDERNESS  13! 

Second.  This  eliminated  the  names  of  the  First  and  Third 
Corps  from  the  records  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  General 
Hancock,  who  had  nearly  recovered  from  his  Gettysburg 
wound,  assumed  command  of  the  enlarged  Second  Corps, 
General  Warren  of  the  Fifth  and  General  Sedgwick  of  the 
Sixth.  All  these  Corps  commanders  had  been  connected  with 
the  Second  Corps.  Burnside's  Ninth  Corps  had  been  ordered 
up  within  supporting  distance.  It  had  not  yet  been  incorpo 
rated  into  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  remained  an  indepen 
dent  organization  until  the  24th  of  May.  The  foregoing  con 
solidation  necessitated  a  reorganization  of  the  Second  Corps. 
The  regiments  of  the  First  and  Third  Brigades  of  the  Second 
Division,  with  the  exception  of  the  I52nd  New  York,  were 
consolidated  and  became  the  First  Brigade,  which  then  con 
sisted  of  nine  regiments.  These  regiments  were  the  Nine 
teenth  Maine,  the  Fifteenth,  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth  Massa 
chusetts,  the  Forty-second,  Fifty-ninth  and  Eighty-second 
New  York,  the  Seventh  Michigan  and  the  Twenty-sixth  Wiscon 
sin.  On  the  3rd  day  of  April  General  Webb  assumed  command 
of  this  Brigade,  having  been  succeeded  in  the  command  of  the 
Division  by  General  Gibbon,  and  Colonel  Connor  returned  to 
the  Nineteenth.  During  the  period  of  his  command  of  the 
Brigade,  Captain  Starbird  was  in  command  of  the  Regiment, — 
both  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  the  Major  being  absent. 
Major  Welch  returned  to  the  Regiment  just  before  the  opening 
of  the  campaign.  The  four  Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps 
were  commanded  by  Generals  Barlow,  Gibbon,  Birney  and  Mott, 
respectively. 

The  spring  was  cold  and  rainy.  Near  the  last  of  March 
there  was  a  heavy  fall  of  snow — four  or  five  inches.  The  vari 
ous  details  were  so  heavy  and  so  many  officers  were  absent  on 
recruiting  service  that  there  was  not  very  much  drilling.  Small 
pox  prevailed  to  a  considerable  extent.  At  one  time  there 
were  eight  or  nine  cases  in  the  Nineteenth. 

Soon  after  the  ist  of  January  the  men  of  the  First  Brigade 
constructed  a  fine,  large,  log  chapel,  for  the  purpose  of  religious 
services  and  entertainments.  Rev.  Henry  V.  Talbot,  Chaplain 
of  the  1 52nd  New  York,  was  leader  in  the  interesting  religious 


132  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

services  held  there.  Chaplain  Talbot  was  a  fine  looking  man, 
heavy-set  with  black  whiskers,  and  he  looked  as  though  he 
enjoyed  good  living.  He  was  pleasant  and  tactful,  a  man  of 
considerable  ability,  always  wearing  a  smile,  and  he  became 
quite  popular  with  the  men  of  the  Brigade.  A  considerable 
number  of  men  professed  conversion  in  these  meetings. 

Entertainments  of  different  kinds  were  held  in  this  chapel, 
and  a  debating  society  was  organized  late  in  the  spring,  where 
the  soldiers  discussed  the  great  problems  agitating  the  nation. 
They  did  not,  however,  criticize  the  commanding  officers. 
When  they  wanted  to  arraign  the  officers  they  did  it  in  a  less 
public  place.  Meetings  and  entertainments  in  this  old  log 
chapel  were  pleasant  and  profitable  and  served  to  vary  the 
monotony  of  camp  life. 

Captain  Charles  E.  Nash  wrote  a  letter  from  Stevens- 
burg,  Virginia,  March  3Oth,  1864,  from  which  the  following 
extract  is  taken: 

"Colonel  Sheldon  Connor,  our  commander,  has  just  returned  to 
the  Regiment,  having  been  for  the  past  few  weeks  acting  in  the  capac 
ity  of  Brigadier-General.  Captain  Starbird  commanded  the  Regi 
ment  during  Colonel  Connor's  absence.  Many  of  our  officers  are  ab 
sent  in  Maine  on  recruiting  service,  but  will  probably  receive  instruc 
tions  to  join  us  ere  many  weeks.  The  young  men  of  the  First  Brigade 
have  organized  a  Soldiers'  Lyceum,  which  is  in  successful  operation. 
It  is  held  semi- weekly  in  the  Brigade  chapel  building,  fitted  up  by  the 
United  States  Christian  Commission,  and  patronized  by  the  various 
military  ranks.  Sergeant  Moses  S.  Dennett,  of  Company  F,  Nine 
teenth  Maine,  a  Litchfield  boy,  is  president,  (killed  on  the  battle-field 
of  the  Wilderness.)  Last  Sabbath  several  converts  were  baptised  in 
the  stream  which  flows  past  our  camp.  A  religious  interest  has  pre 
vailed  during  the  past  two  months,  and  a  goodly  number  have  entered 
the  Army  of  the  Great  Teacher.  The  benevolent  efforts  of  the  Chris 
tian  Commission  are  reaching  the  hearts  of  the  multitude.  It  has 
been  a  real  power  in  the  Army,  and  always  for  good,  physically  as 
well  as  morally." 

At  the  request  of  General  Webb,  Colonel  Connor,  when  in 
command  of  the  Brigade,  held  a  brigade  dress-parade,  which 
had  been  introduced  by  General  Torbert,  of  the  Sixth  Corps, 
and  had  been  taken  up  by  several  brigades  of  that  corps.  The 
nine  Regiments  of  the  Brigade  were  formed  in  line  of  divisions, 
at  half  distance,  on  a  gentle  slope.  The  commanding  officer's 
position  opposite  the  center  of  the  line  was  on  rising  ground, 
and  immediately  in  his  rear,  on  the  crest  of  a  hillock,  General 


BATTLE  OF  THE  WILDERNESS  133 

Webb  and  his  Staff  stationed  themselves,  as  spectators.  The 
nearby  hillside  was  covered  with  lookers-on  from  the  other 
brigades  of  the  Division.  It  formed  a  beautiful  and  imposing 
military  spectacle — one  of  the  many  presented  by  the  army  in 
the  field  in  the  line  of  its  duty — without  thought  of  "  making 
a  show." 

A  spectacle  of  a  different  kind  was  that  presented  on  the 
I4th  of  April,  when  an  English  soldier  of  the  Nineteenth  Massa 
chusetts  was  hung  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  Division.  His 
offense  was  an  outrage  on  a  woman  living  near  the  picket  line. 
The  Division  was  formed  in  a  hollow  square  and  waited  while 
the  doomed  man  was  escorted  from  headquarters  a  mile  or 
more  distant,  the  accompanying  band  playing  dirges  all  the 
way.  The  procession  passed  entirely  through  the  lane  formed 
by  the  two  lines  composing  the  square,  facing  each  other,  the 
culprit  on  a  caisson  seated  on  his  coffin,  blindfolded,  and  bound 
in  a  manner  suggesting  an  attempt  to  defy  the  arts  of  a  knot- 
loosing  fakir.  The  passing  of  the  cortege  entirely  around  the 
square,  in  slow  time,  to  the  wailing  strains  of  the  band  was  so 
harrowing,  so  revolting  to  the  sense  of  humanity  that  one  of 
the  men  in  the  ranks  said  long  afterwards  that  if  anybody  had 
given  the  word  there  would  have  been  a  rush  to  free  the  prison 
er  or,  at  least,  to  put  a  stop  to  the  barbarous  cruelty  of  the 
proceedings. 

On  the  9th  of  March  1864,  General  Grant  received  his 
commission  as  Lieutenant-General  and  the  next  day  visited 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  where  he  established  his  headquarters 
fifteen  days  later,  and  where  they  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  war. 

General  Grant's  appointment  put  General  Halleck  out  of 
business.  Halleck  was  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army  from 
July  23rd,  1862  to  March  9th,  1864.  He  was  the  recipient 
of  much  cursing  in  his  day  but  he  occupied  a  position  very 
difficult  to  fill.  He  was  recognized  as  an  officer  of  scholarly 
attainment  but  as  a  commander  of  troops  in  the  field  he  was 
a  grievous  failure. 

When  we  reached  Morrisville  early  in  August  1863,  there 
were  less  than  one  hundred  men  on  duty  with  the  Regiment. 


134  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

The  trying  winter  at  Falmouth  and  the  hardships  of  the  Get 
tysburg  Campaign  had  made  fearful  havoc  in  our  ranks. 
While  encamped  at  Morrisville,  the  Regiment  received  198 
recruits,  as  has  been  heretofore  stated,  and  early  in  Septem 
ber,  while  at  Culpepper,  144  additional  recruits  came  to  the 
Regiment.  Some  of  these  recruits  were  drafted  men,  some 
were  substitutes  and  others  volunteers.  The  greater  portion 
of  them  were  men  of  character  and  made  good  soldiers.  Quite 
a  number  of  men  who  had  left  the  Regiment  by  reason  of 
sickness  or  wounds,  returned  to  us  from  the  hospitals.  When 
the  Regiment  started  out  on  the  Wilderness  campaign  there 
were  present  for  duty  twenty-two  commissioned  officers  and 
468  enlisted  men. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Wilderness  campaign,  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  including  the  Ninth  Corps,  numbered  about  120, 
ooo  men.  Lee's  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  comprised  from 
60,000  to  70,000.  His  three  infantry  Corps  were  commanded 
by  Generals  Longstreet,  Ewell  and  A.  P.  Hill,  and  his  cavalry 
by  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart.  General  Lee's  headquarters  were 
near  Orange  Court  House.  Longstreet's  Corps  was  encamped 
at  Mechanicsburg,  about  six  miles  south  of  Gordonsville,  some 
distance  away  from  the  rest  of  the  army. 

Two  roads  lead  from  Orange  Court  House  down  the  Rapi- 
dan  river  in  the  direction  of  Fredericksburg.  These  roads 
follow  the  general  direction  of  the  river  and  run  almost  parallel 
to  each  other.  The  Orange  turnpike  is  nearest  the  river  and 
the  Orange  plank  road  a  short  distance  to  the  south  of  it.  The 
route  of  our  army  lay  directly  across  these  two  roads.  Where 
the  two  armies  confronted  each  other  these  roads  are  about 
two  miles  apart. 

The  Second  Corps  was  reviewed  by  General  Grant  on  the 
22nd  day  of  April,  and  General  Morgan  pronounced  it  "the 
finest  corps  review"  he  had  ever  seen  in  this  army.  A  few 
days  thereafter  orders  were  issued  which  inaugurated  the  most 
memorable  campaign  of  the  war. 

It  was  near  midnight  on  May  3rd  when  the  army  started 
on  its  march  southward.  The  Second  Corps,  preceded  by 
Gregg's  Division  of  cavalry,  crossed  the  Rapidan  on  pontoon 


BATTLE  OF  THE  WILDERNESS  135 

bridges  at  Ely's  Ford,  early  in  the  morning  of  May  4th.  The 
head  of  the  Second  Corps  reached  the  Chancellorsville  battlefield 
of  the  year  before,  soon  after  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It 
had  been  a  fatiguing  march  of  twenty  miles.  It  was  very  hot 
on  the  4th  of  May.  The  sides  of  the  road  from  the  river  to 
Chancellorsville  were  thickly  strewn  with  overcoats  and  blank 
ets,  to  which  the  soldiers  had  clung,  as  necessary  to  light  house 
keeping  in  Virginia  during  the  cool  nights  of  spring.  Desire 
yielded  to  necessity  and  many  a  poor  family,  along  the  line  of 
march,  laid  in  a  supply  of  clothing  for  years  to  come.  We  drew 
no  special  inspiration  from  the  historical  association  of  this 
old  battle  ground.  Skeletons  of  dead  men  and  the  debris  of 
battle  were  found  in  all  directions.  Here  the  Corps  rested  until 
the  next  morning. 

The  Fifth  Corps,  followed  by  the  Sixth,  and  preceded  by 
Wilson's  cavalry,  crossed  the  river  at  Germanna  Ford,  some 
six  miles  above  Ely's  Ford.  The  Fifth  proceeded,  in  the  fore 
noon  of  May  4th,  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Wilderness  Tavern,  near 
the  intersection  of  the  Germanna  Ford  road  and  the  Orange 
turnpike,  while  the  Sixth  Corps  encamped  on  the  hills  south  of 
the  Rapidan.  The  night  of  the  4th  of  May,  our  Corps  encamped 
five  miles  east  of  Warren's  Corps. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  May  5th,  the  Regiment, 
with  the  Second  Division  in  the  advance,  was  marching,  with 
a  swinging  gait,  for  Todd's  Tavern  by  the  way  of  the  Furnaces, 
followed  by  the  other  divisions  of  the  Corps.  We  arrived  at 
Todd's  Tavern  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  heard  the  booming  of  Warren's  cannon  up  the  Brock  road, 
between  us  and  the  Rapidan.  We  were  halted  just  beyond 
Todd's  on  the  Catharpin  road,  which  led  westerly  to  Corbin's 
bridge  over  the  Po  river.  Flankers  were  thrown  out  in  all 
directions.  This  was  an  impressive  hour.  The  boys  of  the 
Regiment  were  stirred  by  the  exciting  scenes  about  them. 
The  clash  of  arms  had  come.  It  seemed  to  bring  a  feeling  of 
relief  rather  than  of  depression.  The  hour  to  which  all  had 
looked  forward  with  so  much  concern  had  arrived.  The  pre 
vailing  sentiment  was  expressed  by  Sergeant-Major  Wood,  who 


136  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

laughingly  said,  "Well,  boys,  the  sooner  it  comes,  the  sooner  it 
will  be  over." 

At  nine  o'clock  General  Hancock  was  informed  by  General 
Meade  that  the  enemy  had  appeared  on  the  Orange  turnpike 
and  ordered  him  to  wait  at  Todd's  until  the  "matter  develops." 
In  the  early  morning  of  May  5th,  we  had  infantry  on  the  Orange 
pike  but  no  cavalry,  and  cavalry  on  the  Orange  plank  road  but 
no  infantry.  Ewell  had  encamped-on  the  night  of  the  4th  within 
three  miles  of  Warren  on  the  Orange  turnpike,  but  our  officers 
had  no  knowledge  of  that  fact.  So  when  Warren  started  across 
the  country  for  Parker's  store  on  the  plank  road,  on  the  morning 
of  May  5th,  he  threw  Griffin's  Division  up  the  turnpike  as  a 
military  precaution,  to  protect  the  main  column.  Griffin 
unexpectedly  met  the  advance  of  Ewell's  Corps  on  the  turnpike 
and  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  was  opened. 

Just  before  noon,  May  5th,  Hancock  was  ordered  to  move 
back  to  the  intersection  of  the  Brock  road  and  Orange  plank 
road,  as  soon  as  possible.  In  coming  from  Chancellorsville,  we 
had  marched  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  In  hurrying  up  the 
Brock  road  to  its  intersection  with  the  plank  road,  we  were 
going  a  little  west  of  north.  In  marching  down,  Birney's  Divi 
sion  brought  up  the  rear  and  in  the  retrograde  movement,  his 
Division  had  the  advance  and  so  reached  the  battlefield  first. 
Mott  followed  closely  after  Birney  and  then  came  Barlow,  while 
our  Division,  with  some  of  the  artillery,  brought  up  in  the  rear. 
The  Corps  numbered  over  25,000  men,  and  with  artillery 
marching  over  a  narrow  road  the  movement  was  necessarily 
slow.  While  the  head  of  Birney's  Division  reached  the  desig 
nated  cross-roads  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  yet  it  was 
between  five  and  six  o'clock  before  our  Brigade  reached  the 
plank  road.  This  point  was  about  seven  miles  from  Todd's 
Tavern.  The  last  part  of  the  march,  we  took  the  double-quick 
step  and  ran  along  the  Brock  road  with  the  bullets  coming 
from  the  woods  on  our  left,  whistling  over  our  heads.  This  was 
a  hot  run  for  the  Regiment.  Many  men  were  lying  beside  the 
road,  unconscious  from  sunstroke. 

There  has  been  some  confusion  among  writers  as  to  the 
locations  of  different  regiments  of  the  Brigade,  and  under  whom 


Brigadier-General  Selden  Connor.     1864. 


BATTLE  OF  THE   WILDERNESS  137 

they  fought,  during  the  second  day's  engagement.  From  a 
diary  kept  by  the  writer  of  this  book,  and  which  he  believes 
is  accurate  as  far  as  it  goes,  this  information  is  obtained :  The 
Nineteenth  upon  its  arrival  at  the  intersection  of  the  Brock 
road  and  the  Orange  plank  road,  halted  and  there  was  some  de 
lay  in  finding  General  Carroll's  Brigade  which  we  were  ordered  to 
support.  The  Regiment  was  finally  sent  into  the  woods  on 
the  right  of  the  plank  road  and  it  did  not  get  into  position 
until  nearly  dark.  Carroll's  Brigade,  in  two  lines,  was  in  front 
of  us  and  we  did  not  engage  the  enemy  on  the  night  of  the  5th 
of  May.  There  were  only  occasional  shots  fired  after  the 
Regiment  was  in  position. 

In  the  early  morning  of  May  6th,  our  Regiment  crossed 
to  the  left  of  the  plank  road  and  advanced  to  the  support  of 
some  troops  and  about  nine  o'clock  took  the  front  line  and 
began  firing  and  advancing,  'the  enemy  falling  back.  There 
were  then  no  troops  in  line  on  our  left.  In  about  half  an  hour 
the  cry  was  raised,  "Look  to  the  left!"  There  was  discovered 
quite  a  body  of  Confederates  on  our  left  flank  and  somewhat 
to  our  rear,  firing  into  us.  The  officers  tried  to  have  the  troops 
change  front  so  as  to  meet  this  unexpected  attack,  but  about 
the  same  time  came  a  vigorous  assault  from  the  front.  The 
men  fell  back  in  good  order  to  the  Brock  road,  firing  as  they 
went.  The  Regiment  lost  quite  a  number  of  men  here.  Upon 
reaching  the  Brock  road,  General  Burnside  was  seen  on  his 
horse  with  his  hat  off,  showing  his  bald  head  shining  in  the  sun, 
and  a  staff-officer  was  pointing  out  to  him  where  he  was  to  put 
some  troops  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  just  then  coming  down  the 
road  from  the  direction  of  the  Wilderness  Tavern.  His  soldiers 
pushed  into  the  woods  on  the  right  and  soon  fierce  firing  was 
heard  in  the  direction  of  his  front. 

In  the  early  afternoon  we  were  ordered  in  on  the  right  ot 
the  plank  road.  The  following  is  a  quotation  from  the  diary 
to  which  reference  has  been  made: 

"We  went  to  the  right  of  the  plank  road  with  the  Fifteenth  Massa 
chusetts  and  were  ordered  to  go  in  on  the  left  of  Burnside.  We  all 
charged  and  drove  the  enemy  back  over  a  small  hill,  behind  which  they 
opened  upon  us  one  of  the  most  destructive  fires  I  was  ever  under. 
General  Webb  sat  on  his  horse,  with  drawn  sword,  just  behind  our 


J3  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Regiment,  apparently  as  calm  as  on  parade,  saying,  'hold  them,  boys  , 
I  will  soon  have  you  relieved.'  I  never  saw  a  general  officer  in  a 
hotter  place,  yet  he  was  not  touched.  In  a  few  minutes  we  were 
relieved,  went  a  short  distance  to  the  rear  and  drew  some  more  cart 
ridges  and  then  advanced.  Here  we  found  our  lines  flanked  and  our 
troops  coming  rapidly  to  the  rear.  Colonel  Connor  at  once  deployed 
the  Regiment  nearly  parallel  with  the  road,  attempting  to  stop  the 
stampede  of  troops  to  the  rear.  We  waited  until  the  enemy  was 
close  upon  us,  when  we  were  ordered  by  Colonel  Connor  to  open  fire 
upon  him.  The  Confederates  appeared  to  be  staggered  by  this  un 
expected  fire  into  their  faces  and  halted  for  a  time.  Soon  their  bullets 
began  to  come  into  our  ranks  from  most  all  directions.  It  was  here 
that  our  brave  Colonel  Connor  was  shot  down  and  carried  to  the  rear. 
Our  Regiment  was  the  only  troops  left  on  this  part  of  the  field.  We 
then  started  for  the  Brock  road  and  made  good  time  in  getting  there. 
About  five  o'clock  Longstreet's  troops  came  down  through  the  woods 
in  the  line  of  battle  on  a  charge,  bugles  sounding,  seeming  confident 
that  they  would  carry  everything  before  them.  A  section  of  the 
Sixth  Maine  Battery  was  planted  across  the  road,  pouring  canister 
into  their  ranks,  and  our  men  lay  behind  the  breastworks.  When  the 
enemy  got  near  enough  we^opened  fire  and  while  in  some  places  Long- 
street's  men  planted  their  colors  on  our  works,  in  about  fifteen  min 
utes  those  not  killed  went  back  howling." 

At  this  time  fire  was  raging  in  the  woods  and  in  some 
places  the  breastworks  in  our  front  were  on  fire.  The  heaviest 
loss  in  our  Regiment  occurred  on  the  right  of  the  plank  road  in 
the  early  afternoon. 

The  history  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  in  the  Wilderness 
campaign  is  given  in  the  official  reports  of  J.  W.  Spaulding, 
Captain  commanding  the  Regiment,  on  the  3rd  of  August,  1864, 
the  the  date  of  rendering  his  report,  and  of  General  Alexander 
S.  Webb,  the  Brigade  commander,  both  taken  from  the  Official 
Records : 

That  portion  of  Captain  Spauldings'  report  which  relates 
to  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  is  as  follows: 

"The  Regiment  struck  tents  at  half  past  nine  p.m.,  May  3,  1864, 
and  marched  with  the  Division  at  twelve  o'clock  same  night,  crossing 
Ely's  ford  on  the  Rapidan  just  after  daybreak  May  4th  marched  to 
Chancellorsville,  where  it  arrived  about  noon.  May  5th  marched 
at  5  a.m.  Upon  arriving  at  Todd's  tavern,  line  of  battle  was  formed 
and  the  Regiment  sent  out  to  support  the  skirmish  line.  In  the 
afternoon,  the  Regiment  counter-marched,  moving  back  to  the  Wilder 
ness.  It  was  then  detached  from  the  Brigade  and  reported  to  Colonel 
Carroll,  commanding  Third  Brigade,  and  formed  in  the  rear  of  second 
line.  Early  in  the  morning  of  May  6th,  an  advance  having  been 
ordered,  the  Regiment  moved  forward  and,  although  in  the  third  line 
when  it  started,  when  our  line  met  the  enemy  it  was  in  the  front  line 
and  wholly  unprotected  on  its  left  flank.  Colonel  Connor  immediately 
reported  that  this  left  was  wholly  exposed,  but  before  troops  arrived 
the  enemy  had  turned  our  left  and  compelled  our  lines  to  fall  back. 


BATTLE    OF   THE    WILDERNESS  139 

The  Regiment  reformed  on  the  plank  road  and  rejoined  the  Brigade. 
A  new  line  was  immediately  formed,  the  right  of  this  Regiment  connect 
ing  with  the  left  of  the  Fifty-seventh  Massachusetts  Volunteers  of 
the  Ninth  Army  Corps  which  had  just  arrived.  The  line  very  soon 
advanced  and  after  having  been  hotly  engaged  with  the  enemy  about 
one  hour,  the  Regiment  was  relieved  and  marched  back  nearly  to  the 
line  of  breastworks  and  formed  along  the  plank  road.  The  movement 
had  barely  been  executed  when  the  line  in  front  was  compelled  to  fall 
back  before  the  superior  numbers  of  the  enemy  and  the  Regiment 
again  became  engaged.  It  was  then  that  the  gallant  Colonel  Connor 
fell  severely  wounded  while  striving  to  rally  the  retreating  columns. 
The  Regiment  held  its  position  here  until  the  enemy  had  turned  both 
flanks,  when  it  was  obliged  to  retire  to  the  rear  of  the  line  of  breast 
works.  The  loss  was  very  severe  in  the  several  engagements  of  the 
day." 

f  fFGeneral  Webb  in  his  official  report,  made  after  he  was 
wounded  at  Spottsylvania,  states  that  it  is  necessarily  incom 
plete,  from  his  inability  to  obtain  any  reports  from  regimental 
commanders,  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  being  killed  or  wounded 
The  following  are  extracts  from  his  report: 

"On  the  6th  at  about  six  a.m.  I  received  orders  from  General 
Gibbon  to  move  to  the  right  of  the  plank  road  and  report  to  Major- 
General  Birney,  which  was  promptly  done.  General  Birney  ordered 
my  command  to  deploy  on  the  right  of  the  plank  road  and  move 
forward  to  join  Brigadier-General  Getty,  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  I 
deployed  and  advanced  as  ordered." 

*     *     * 

"I  remained  in  my  position  until  the  enemy  appeared  on 'both 
right  and  left  flanks  of  my  command,  when  I  received  an  order  from 
General  Wadsworth  to  go  to  the  left  to  determine  what  was  the  cause 
of  the  disorder  taking  place  there." 

*     *     * 

"I  rode  from  my  command  to  obey  these  orders.  Seeing  the 
impossibility  of  effecting  anything,  I  returned  to  my  command  and 
found  it  in  column  in  the  road.  The  Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers 
halted  when  opposite  to  me  and  commenced  firing  at  the  enemy 
approaching  from  the  left  of  the  plank  road.  It  was  halted  by  Colonel 
(now  Brigadier-General)  Connor,  without  orders,  since  I  was  absent 
under  General  Wadsworth 's  orders,  and  in  doing  this,  Colonel  Connor 
did  exactly  what  was  necessary.  He  prevented  the  enemy  from  see 
ing  the  rout.  The  road  was  jammed  with  troops  and  the  rear  of  the 
column  would  have  suffered  terribly  had  not  Colonel  Connor  stopped 
his  Regiment.  I  saw  Colonel  Connor  fall,  and  ordered  the  Regiment  to 
retire  through  the  woods." 

General  Webb,  in  his  article  entitled  "Through  the  Wilder 
ness,"  in  "  Battle  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,"  says: 

"When  I  came  back  from  endeavoring  to  carry  out  the  order  that 
WTadsworth  had  given  me,  I  found  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  under  Colonel 
Selden  Connor,  on  the  plank  road.  Another  regiment  also  stayed  with 
me  to  hold  the  plank  road  and  to  deceive  the  Confederates,  by  fighting 
as  though  they  had  a  continuous  line.  Colonel  Connor  was  shot  in 


14°          THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

the  leg  after  a  long  skirmish;  I  offered  him  my  horse,  but  his  wounds 
being  such  as  to  render  him  unable  to  mount,  he  had  to  be  carried  to 
the  log  works.  His  Regiment  stayed  there  until  I  gave  the  order  to 
break  like  partridges  through  the  woods  for  the  Brock  road." 

Under  date  of  April  i8th,  1865,  General  'Webb,  then 
Meade's  Chief  of  Staff,  wrote  to  Colonel  Connor  and  in  referring 
to  the  action  of  the  Regiment,  he  said  that  "it  was  a  most 
important  thing  to  the  troops  crowded  in  flight  down  the  plank 
road.  It  prevented  Longstreet's  determining  the  state  of  con 
fusion  they  were  in.  Wilcox  told  me  they  lost  twenty  minutes 
following  us  there  and  lost  their  chance  to  go  in  with  us." 

An  important  fact  does  not  appear  in  either  of  the  reports 
or  in  the  article  and  letter  of  General  Webb  herein  quoted.  It 
is  this:  After  the  Nineteenth  Maine  had  been  firing  some  time 
its  cartridges,  heavily  drawn  upon  in  its  action  before  rejoin 
ing  the  Brigade,  became  exhausted.  Colonel  Connor  in  person 
reported  the  fact  to  General  Webb,  who  ordered  him  to  take  his 
Regiment  back  to  the  ammunition  boxes  which  he  would  find 
a  short  distance  in  the  rear,  and  replenish  its  cartridge  boxes. 
Captain  Spaulding  did  not  know  of  this  order  when  he  made 
his  report,  and  General  Webb  appears  not  to  have  remembered 
it.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  could  not  recall  every 
incident  affecting  one  of  the  many  regiments  of  his  command. 
Another  instance  of  his  failure  to  recall  a  particular  incident 
accurately  is  afforded  by  the  statement  in  his  article  in  "  Battles 
and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War,"  herein  quoted,  "I  offered  him 
(Colonel  Connor)  my  horse,  but  his  wounds  being  such  as  to 
render  him  unable  to  mount,  he  had  to  be  carried  to  the  log 
works."  When  Colonel  Connor  fell,  General  Webb  asked  him 
if  he  were  wounded,  but  made  no  offer  of  his  horse.  General 
Webb  was  wounded  in  the  head  at  Spottsylvania  and  was 
taken  to  Fredericksburg  and  placed  in  the  room  where  Colonel 
Connor  and  other  wounded  men  were  lying.  When  General 
Webb  learned  that  Colonel  Connor  was  in  the  room  he  sent  his 
orderly  to  the  latter  to  beg  his  pardon  for  not  offering  his  horse 
and  the  reply  was  returned  that  there  was  no  occasion  for 
regret  since  Colonel  Connor  could  not,  with  his  broken  thigh, 
have  mounted  the  horse. 


BATTLE  OF  THE  WILDERNESS  141 

Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  W.  Swan,  U.  S/!A., 
in  a  paper  on  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  read  before  the 
Military  Historical  Society  of  Massachusetts  and  published  in 
Volume  4,  of  the  papers  of  that  Society,  says,  "Although  the 
Rebels  knew  they  had  caused  us  to  retreat  in  disorder  the 
woods  did  not  allow  them  to  see  the  extent  of  the  disorder.  It 
is  reported  that  in  the  road  a  Maine  regiment  did  excellent  ser 
vice,  preventing  the  enemy  from  seeing  the  rout  then."  The 
"Maine  regiment"  must  have  been  the  Nineteenth,  since  it  was 
the  only  Maine  regiment  on  the  plank  road  at  that  time. 

In  an  article  by  John  R.  Turner  in  Vol.  XX  of  the  South 
ern  Historical  Society  Papers,  on  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness 
appears  a  communication  from  Hugh  R.  Smith,  Adjutant  of 
the  Twelfth  Virginia,  Mahone's  Brigade,  from  which  the  fol 
lowing  is  taken: 

"My  remembrance  of  the  affair  is  that  our  Brigade  was 
advancing  in  line  of  battle,  and  the  woods  being  on  fire  caused 
our  Regiment  (The  Twelfth  Virginia)  to  swerve  to  the  right 
thereby  becoming  somewhat  separated  from  the  rest  of  the 
Brigade,  and  we  seemed  to  come  into  contact  with  the  left  flank 
of  the  enemy,  who  were  holding  the  plank  road,  and  I  thought  at 
the  time  we  were  sent  there  especially  to  disloge  them." 

In  the  same  article  is  a  letter  from  Joseph  E.  Rockwell 
also  of  the  Twelfth  Virginia,  who  writes:  "Here  the  retreating 
enemy  came  upon  their  reserves  and  we  had  it  quite  hot,  until  many 
of  our  comrades  were  shot  down.  I  was  fortunate  to  catch  a 
friendly  ball  myself." 

In  an  address  by  Leigh  Robinson,  of  the  Richmond  How 
itzers,  before  the  "Virginia  Division  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,"  May  i,  1877,  speaking  of  Longstreet's  flank  attack, 
he  says,  "See  what  three  brigades  are  doing,  cooperating  with 
others  in  front!  They  fall  on  Hancock's  left,  crushing  Frank's 
Brigade,  sweeping  away  Mott's  Division.  Hancock's  left  is 
forced  back.  He  endeavors  to  retain  the  advanced  position, 
held  by  his  right  on  the  plank  road,  but  cannot  do  so." 

The  following  is  the  reference  to  the  flank  attack  in  the 
history  of  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts: 


142  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

"Meanwhile  General  Longstreet  had  sent'a  column  of  four  brigades 
to  the  unfinished  railroad  embankment  on  his  right,  which  struck  the 
left  of  our  new  line  and  doubled  up  Frank's  Brigade,  then  a  part  of 
Mott's  Division,  and  produced  such  a  critical  condition  in  this  part 
of  the  field  that  Hancock  reluctantly  gave  the  order  for  our  forces  to 
withdraw  to  the  Brock  road,  where,  during  the  afternoon  and  night  of 
the  5th,  breastworks  of  logs  had  been  erected.  The  Twentieth  retired 
under  orders,  and  its  exact  position  duridg  the  remainder  of  the  battle 
is  still  to  be  determined." 

This  indicates  that  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts  did  not 
resist  the  flank  attack  on  the  plank  road,  nor  does  the  history 
of  the  Fifteenth  or  the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts  mention  that 
they  took  any  part  in  opposing  the  flank  movement  of  the 
enemy  on  the  plank  road. 

General  Connor's  excellent  account  of  the  Nineteenth  in 
the  Wilderness  is  given  in  a  letter  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy: 

"Portland,     Maine,     Oct.     12,    1896. 
Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  Charles  H.  Banes, 

formerly  Captain  and  Assistant  Adjutant  General, 
1st  Brigade,  2nd  Div.  2nd  Army  Corps, 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 
My  dear  Colonel: 

"I  received  a  short  time  ago  Part  I,  Vol.  XXXVI,  of  the  Official 
Records'  containing  reports  of  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  that  of 
General  A.  S.  Webb  among  them.  So  much  of  the  report  as  relates  to 
my  Regiment,  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  (p.  438)  does  not  appear  to  me 
to  be  quite  accurate,  and  I  would  like  to  know  if  you  have  any  recollec 
tion  of  me  and  my  Regiment  in  that  action,  and,  if  any,  how  it  tallies 
with  mine.  The  circumstances  were  such  that  I  think  you  must  recall 
them.  For  my  own  part  I  have  so  often  recalled  that  action  in  which 
I  received  a  wound  that  disabled  me  for  further  service  that  it  seems 
fresh  in  my  memory. 

"Very  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Second  Corps  on  the  field  of 
the  Wilderness,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  May,  I  was  ordered 
by  General  Gibbon,  our  Division  commander,  to  report  to  General 
Carroll  on  the  plank  road.  I  formed  on  the  Brock  road  and  went  for 
ward  through  the  woods,  my  left  guided  on  the  plank  road,  until  I 
came  to  General  Carroll's  command.  It  was  quite  dark  when  I  found 
General  Carroll  and  reported  to  him.  He  said  he  should  make  no 
advance  that  night,  but  that  probably  we  should  go  forward  early  in 
the  morning.  The  command  advanced  at  an  early  hour  on  the  6th 
and  my  Regiment  became  engaged  on  the  left  of  the  road,  with  a 
force  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  across  a  stretch  of  low  ground  or  depres 
sion.  There  was  no  force  of  ours  on  our  left  and  therefore  my  Regi 
ment  was  soon  forced  to  fall  back  by  a  flanking  fire  from  that  quarter. 
As  soon  as  we  had  reformed  a  short  distance  in  rear,  General  Webb 
came  down  the  road  with  our  Brigade,  and  I  was  ordered  to  rejoin  the 
Brigade.  Line  was  formed  on  the  right  of  the  plank  road,  the  Nine 
teenth  Maine  on  the  right,  and  an  advance  was  made  until  we  came  to 
the  depression  across  which  my  Regiment  had  been  engaged  a  little 
before.  There  we  were  met  by  the  fire  of  the  enemy  and  the  Brigade 


Hon.  Selden  Connor,    1905. 


BATTLE  OF  THE  WILDERNESS  143 

was  halted  and  a  heavy  interchange  of  firing  was  maintained  for  some 
minutes,  when  the  ammunition  of  my  Regiment,  heavily  drawn  upon  in 
its  previous  action  became  exhausted.  I  reported  the  fact  in  person 
to  General  Webb,  and  he  ordered  me  to  take  the  Regiment  back  to 
the  ammunition  boxes  a  short  distance  in  rear  and  replenish  my  cart 
ridge  boxes.  The  Regiment  was  withdrawn  in  line  as  directed,  and 
a  supply  of  ammunition  was  found  not  more  than  a  hundred  or  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  yards  to  the  rear.  As  soon  as  the  cartridge  boxes  were 
replenished  firing  was  heard  in  the  woods  to  our  left  and  the  sound 
grew  nearer,  indicating  that  our  forces  in  that  direction  were  giving 
way  to  the  enemy.  You  were  with  my  Regiment  at  that  time — my 
impression  is  that  you  had  come  with  me  to  show  me  where  the  ammu 
nition  was  placed — and  I  said  to  you  that  I  would  change  my  front  for 
ward  on  my  left  company  in  order  to  cover  our  people  who  were  being 
driven  back,  and  I  suggested  to  you  that  you  had  better  inform  Gen 
eral  Webb  of  the  force  apparently  coming  on,  to  flank  his  left,  since 
his  attention  might  be  so  occupied  with  his  front  that  he  would  not 
notice  it  in  time,  and  also  of  the  action  I  proposed  to  take.  You  rode 
forward  towards  the  position  and  I  changed  my  front  so  that  my  line 
was  just  in  rear  of  the  plank  road  and  parallel  with  it.  In  a  few  min 
utes  the  Vermont  Brigade  of  the  Sixth  Corps  broke  from  the  woods 
into  the  road  in  a  confused  mass  and  streamed  down  the  plank  road 
toward  the  Brock  road.  General  L.  A.  Grant,  the  Brigade  commander 
and  other  officers  were  striving  to  rally  them,  but  they  were  crowded 
together  in  such  a  huddle  and  the  pursuing  enemy  was  so  close  upon 
them  that  it  was  hardly  possible  for  them  to  reform,  1  I  was  on  the 
plank  road  at  the  left  of  my  Regiment  and  just  in  front  of  it.  The 
Vermonters  came  out  of  the  woods  just  at  that  point.  As  soon  as 
they  were  clear  of  my  front  and  the  enemy  were  close  at  hand,  I  opened 
fire.  I  was  soon  after  struck  in  the  thigh  by  a  shot  coming  from  the 
right,  and  fell  at  the  side  of  the  road.  When  I  was  down  I  saw  General 
Webb  just  behind  me  and  he  asked  if  I  was  hit.  I  was  taken  off  the 
field  in  a  blanket  by  some  of  my  men.  The  rest  of  the  story  is  told  in 
General  Webb's  report. 

"I  have  thus  briefly  sketched  the  part  my  Regiment  took  in  the 
Wilderness  until  I  fell,  in  order  that  I  may  refresh  your  memory  as  to 
the  incidents  to  which  I  have  referred  as  having  been  specially  under 
your  cognizance.  You  will  confer  a  great  favor  on  me  if  you  will 
give  me  your  recollection  of  them.  It  would  not  surprise  me  if  you 
should  not  have  the  clear  memory  that  I  have  of  them,  because  they 
were  specially  impressed  on  my  mind  as  the  closing  of  my  service. 
With  great  regard, 

Yours    very    truly, 

(Signed)    Selden    Connor." 

The  receipt  of  the  letter  was  acknowledged  by  Mrs.  Banes, 
who  wrote  that  her  husband  was  too  ill  to  attend  to  any  busi 
ness.  It  was  subsequently  learned  that  this  was  his  last  illness.2 

These  reports  show  that  the  Nineteenth  Maine  rendered 
important  service  at  the  critical  period  in  the  battle  of  the 


1  General  Grant  informs  the  writer  that    he    ordered  his   Brigade 
to  retire. 

2  Colonel  Banes  died  January  15,  1897. 


144  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Wilderness,  just  as  it  had  done  on  the  2nd  and  3rd  of  July  at 
Gettysburg.  In  his  letter  to  Colonel  Connor,  General  Webb 
reports  the  rebel  General  Wilcox  as  saying  that  they  "lost 
twenty  minutes  following  us  there  and  lost  their  chance  to  go 
in  with  us."  In  some  reports  of  rebel  officers  the  reason  given 
for  not  continuing  the  pursuit  was  the  fall  of  General  Jenkins 
and  the  wounding  of  General  Longstreet  by  the  fire  of  their  own 
troops.  Certain  it  is  that  their  pursuit  virtually  ceased  at  the 
plank  road.  If  they  had  kept  on  no  doubt  their  progress 
would  have  been  stayed  a  little  further  on.  As  the  wounded 
Colonel  of  the  Nineteenth  was  borne  on  a  stretcher,  to  which 
he  had  been  removed  from  the  blanket  in  which  Captain 
Smart  had  placed  him,  along  the  Brock  road  on  the  way  to 
the  field  hospital,  he  saw  Hancock  in  white  shirt  sleeves,  sit 
ting  on  a  stump  just  in  rear  of  his  well  manned  log  works, 
calmly  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  discourage  whatever  as 
sailants  might  appear  in  his  front. 

CASUALTIES  OF  THE  REGIMENT  IN  THE  BATTLE 
OF  THE  WILDERNESS  MAY  5-7,  1864. 

Colonel  Selden  Connor,  wounded;  Captain  David  E.  Parsons, 
Company  B,  wounded;  Captain  Everett  M.  Whitehouse,  Company  G, 
wounded;  First  Lieutenant  William  H.  Emery,  Company  C,  wounded; 
Second  Lieutenant  Elbridge  C.  Pierce,  Company  D,  wounded. 

Company  A . 

Corporal  Kingman  Foss,  killed;  Corporal  John  Merrill,  Jr.,  killed; 
James  Carroll,  killed;  Nathan  P.  Frost,  killed;  William  B.  Murphy, 
killed;  Charles  M.  Rowe,  killed; 

Sergeant  Asa  Andrews,  Jr.,  wounded;  Corporal  John  L.  Downs, 
wounded;  John  L.  Armstrong,  wounded;  Alexander  Bagley,  wounded; 
Danville  Bean,  wounded;  John  P.  Lancaster,  wounded;  Samuel  Leavitt, 
wounded;  Alonzo  H.  Quimby,  wounded;  Corporal  Edward  H.  Smith, 
wounded;  Benjamin  Burns,  prisoner;  Henry  H.  Fairbrother,  prisoner. 

Company  B. 

Sergeant  David  G.  Bagley,  killed;  Corporal  Hugh  A.  Bullen, 
mortally  wounded,  died  November  18,  '64;  Elijah  K.  Buzzell,  mort 
ally  wounded,  died  in  hospital,  Washington,  May  28th;  Hosea  B.  Dun- 
ton,  killed. 

First  Sergeant  Darius  S.  Richards,  wounded;  Sergeant  Morrison 
R.  Heal  (Christian  name  appears  also  as  Harrison)  wounded;  Corporal 


BATTLE  OF  THE    WILDERNESS  145 

George  M.  Mayo,  wounded;  Corporal  Samuel  N.  Robertson,  wounded; 
William  A.  Hannon,  wounded;  Charles  F.  Jewell,  wounded;  John  Marr, 
wounded;  Benjamin  O.  Sanford,  wounded;  Edwin  Smith,  wounded; 
Jason  Ware,  wounded. 

Company  C. 

Corporal  Cyrus  F.  Snell,  wounded,  died  June  12th;  Richard  A. 
Shepherd,  killed. 

Sergeant  Lindley  H.  Whittaker,  wounded;  Corporal  Harrison  T. 
Clough,  wounded;  Corporal  George  A.  Osborn,  wounded;  Thomas  B. 
Blaisdell,  wounded;  Benjamin  F.  Buzzell,  wounded;  Calvin  G.  Downs, 
wounded;  Henry  Judkins,  wounded;  Seth  W.  Ramsdell,  wounded. 

Company  D. 

Sergeant  Ralph  Johnson,  wounded  and  missing,  May  6,  supposed 
to  have  been  killed;  Sergeant  Nelson  N.  Mayo,  wounded,  died  at 
Fredericksburg,  May  21,  '64.  Corporal  George  F.  Tufts,  killed;  Sewell 
H.  Johnson,  wounded,  died  of  wounds  July  22,  '64;  Thomas  Welch, 
killed;  Orlando  F.  Wentworth,  killed. 

Orrin  I.  Peterson,  wounded;  Elbridge  G.  Raymond,  wounded; 
Arthur  M.  Sawyer,  wounded. 

Company  K. 

Corporal  Isaac  W.  Patterson,  mortally  wounded,  died  Lincoln 
General  hospital,  May  21,  '64 ;  John  Foley,  1  prisoner,  died  at  Anderson  - 
ville,  June  15,  '64;  William  Farr,  killed;  Rufus  H.  Gould,  killed;  John 
E.  Nickerson,  killed. 

Sergeant  Milton  W.  Nichols,  wounded;  Sergeant  Alfred  E.  Nicker 
son,  wounded;  Sergeant  James  H.  Pierce,  wounded;  Albert  Ames, 
wounded;  Henry  A.  Doyle,  wounded;  John  B.  Huff,  wounded;  Joseph 
Pooler,  wounded;  Augustus  L.  Philbrick,  wounded;  John  Sargentson, 
wounded;  William  Trollop,  wounded;  Amos  W.  West,  wounded; 
Edwin  D.  Wharff,  wounded. 

Company  F. 

First  Sergeant  Moses  S.  Dennett,  killed;  Dexter  B.  Tenney,  killed. 

Sergeant  John  E.  Brann,  wounded;  Sergeant  Andrew  J.  Goodwin, 
wounded;  Corporal  Jonathan  Crane,  wounded;  Corporal  Philip  P. 
Getchell,  wounded;  Thomas  A.  Baker,  wounded;  Augustine  Babcock, 
wounded;  Roscoe  Johnson,  wounded;  Morrill  Rose,  wounded. 

Company  G. 

Sergeant  George  W.  Chapman,  killed;  Sergeant  George  W.  Merrill, 
killed;  Nathaniel  Lane,  killed;  Ruel  Littlefield,  killed;  Stephen  Wing, 
killed. 


1  There  is  some  doubt  in  what  battle  of  the  Wilderness  campaign 
John  Foley  was  taken  prisoner.  The  records  of  Company  E  do  not 
disclose  the  information.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  as  to  his  death 
at  Anderson ville. 


146  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

First  Sergeant  George  A.  Barton,  wounded;  Sergeant  Walter 
Jordan,  wounded;  Corporal  Edwin  D.  Lee,  wounded;  Corporal  Albert 
N.  Randall,  wounded;  Thomas  E.  Carpenter,  wounded;  Andrew  J. 
Dain,  wounded;  Elijah  Howard,  wounded;  Elijah  Gill,  wounded;  Hugh 
Hunter,  wounded;  Charles  H.  Jackson,  wounded*  Isaac  Moody, 
wounded;  George  A.  Smith,  wounded;  James  Shortwell,  wounded; 
William  H.  H.  Small,  wounded;  Joseph  A.  Stewart,  wounded;  William 
B.  Tobey,  wounded;  Lauriston  G.  Trask,  wounded. 

Company  H. 

Corporal  William  F.  Wood,  killed;  Mark  G.  Babb,  prisoner  and 
died  a  prisoner  of  war;  Charles  L.  Bigelow,  prisoner,  died  at  Anderson - 
ville  prison,  Sept.  3,  '64. 

Sergeant  Alfred  T.  Dunbar,  wounded;  Sergeant  Francis  P.  Furber, 
wounded;  Sergeant  Charles  E.  Ramsdell,  wounded;  Corporal  George  F. 
Hopkins,  wounded;  Corporal  William  Leonard,  wounded;  Daniel  B. 
Abbott,  wounded;  Andrew  J.  Basford,  wounded;  Henry  Baston; 
wounded;  Sanford  Brann,  wounded;  Frank  Brown,  wounded;  William 
H.  Jewett,  wounded;  George  L.  Smith,  wounded;  Howard  H.  Taylor, 
wounded;  George  White,  wounded. 

Company  I. 

John  Ward,  killed;  Charles  Ripley,  killed  (also  reported  captured). 

George  S.  Cobb,  wounded;  Joseph  H.  Norton,  wounded;  Alfred  B. 
Towle,  wounded;  Martin  V.  Myrick,  wounded. 

Company  K. 

Lot.  A.  Ford,  mortally  wounded,  died  at  Fredericksburg  May,  19th; 
John  L.  Thompson,  mortally  wounded,  died  at  Fredericksburg,  May  22, 
'64. 

Sergeant  Isaac  Webber,  Jr.,  wounded;  Corporal  Robert  Kilfedder, 
wounded;  Corporal  William  T.  Willis,  wounded;  James  W.  Hicks, 
wounded;  Gardiner  McAllister,  wounded;  Albert  G.  Rand,  wounded; 
Albert  Robinson,  wounded;  Edwin  W.  Swett,  wounded. 

Justin  T.  Bourne,  prisoner,  and  reported  a  prisoner  at  date  of 
muster  out. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded 

Wounded,  not  fatally 

Prisoners,  of  whom  three  died  in  prison 

Total 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  147 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BATTLE  OF  SPOTTSYLVANIA. 

The  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  had  been  fought.  The 
Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers  was  lying  behind  the  breast 
works  along  the  Brock  road,  at  its  intersection  with  the  Orange 
plank  road,  facing  west.  When  returning  from  the  fruitless 
Mine  Run  campaign  the  preceding  December,  the  Second 
Corps  had  marched  along  this  same  Orange  plank  road,  past 
Parker's  store  and  nearly  to  its  present  position,  where  it 
turned  north  into  a  wood  road  and  came  out  into  the  Brock 
road  near  the  old  Wilderness  Tavern.  The  region  in  which 
the  armies  were  now  operating  was  historic  ground.  Spottsyl- 
vania  County  had,  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  been  the 
battleground  of  people  struggling  for  religious  liberty.  Here 
men  were  persecuted  and  imprisoned  for  preaching  the  gospel 
outside  of  the  established  church.  In  the  summer  of  1781, 
Lafayette,  with  his  small  army,  pursued  by  Cornwallis,  had 
come  up  from  the  North  Anna,  camping  for  the  night  at  Mas- 
saponax  church,  and  then  proceeded  north,  crossing  the 
Rapidan  at  Ely's  ford,  where  our  corps  had  crossed  that  river 
on  the  morning  of  May  4th.  "Stonewall"  Jackson,  with  his 
Corps,  marched  northerly  along  this  same  Brock  road  May 
2nd,  1863,  and  fell  upon  the  surprised  right  wing  of  the  Union 
army  at  Chancellorsville.  But  the  men  of  the  Regiment  were 
not  specially  interested  at  this  time  in  historical  associations. 
They  had  in  mind  more  serious  thoughts. 

About  nine  or  ten  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  May  7th, 
while  the  Regiment  was  resting  by  the  roadside  and  awaiting 
developments,  Generals  Grant  and  Meade,  accompanied  by 
their  staffs,  rode  along  and  halted  at  General  Hancock's  head 
quarters  near  where  the  Regiment  lay.  The  burning  woods 
lighted  up  the  scene,  and  when  the  faces  of  the  Commanders 
were  recognized,  wild  cheers  echoed  through  the  forest. 


148  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

Tired  as  they  were,  the  soldiers  shouted  with  renewed  en 
thusiasm.  The  enemy  must  have  thought  a  night  attack 
was  intended,  for  they  opened  fire  upon  us  with  shells,  which 
had  the  effect  of  silencing  the  cheering.  Soon  the  head  of 
Warren's  Corps  appeared,  marching  south.  This  settled  the 
question  of  the  next  move.  Some  of  the  men  were  intoxicated 
with  joy  and  enthusiasm,  and  well  they  might  be. 

This  movement  of  the  army  toward  Spottsylvania  was  a 
great  surprise  to  the  Confederates.  Indeed,  their  surprise  was 
increased  by  each  flanking  and  advancing  movement  of  the 
Union  army.  They  had  been  accustomed  to  a  program  which 
began  with  a  Union  advance,  culminating  usually  in  one  great 
battle,  and  ending  in  retreat  of  the  Union  army.  Then  would 
come  the  substitution  of  a  new  commander  for  the  one  beaten 
and  then  an  offensive  campaign  on  the  part  of  the  Confederates. 
This  being  the  usual  order  of  events,  they  confidently  expected 
that  General  Grant  would  re-cross  the  Rapidan  after  the  Battle 
of  the  Wilderness.  Indeed,  they  felt  hurt  because  our  new 
commanding  General,  fresh  from  the  West,  would  not  recognize 
the  customs  and  precedents  so  firmly  established.  It  would  not 
be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  Confederates  were  much 
disappointed  in  General  Grant. 

It  was  not  until  daylight  on  the  morning  of  May  8th  that 
the  Second  Corps  filed  into  the  Brock  road  and  followed  the 
Fifth  Corps  south  from  the  Wilderness  battlefield  toward 
Spottsylvania  Court  House.  Barlow's  Division  led,  followed 
closely  by  Gibbon.  The  troops  marched  south  on  the  same 
road  over  which  we  had  hurried  north  on  the  afternoon  of 
May  5th,  to  the  relief  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  The  Regiment  was  now  commanded  by  Major 
Welch.  The  experience  of  the  last  three  days  had  cast  its 
shadow  over  the  troops.  As  they  marched  away,  the  men  of 
the  Regiment,  unaccustomed  to  weeping,  looked,  with  moist 
ened  eyes  and  quivering  lips,  into  the  burning  woods  behind 
them,  where  so  many  of  their  comrades  lay,  unburied — com 
rades  who,  in  their  dear  old  homes,  had  been  their  neighbors 
and  schoolmates. 


BATTLE   OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  149 

The  head  of  the  Second  Corps  reached  Todd's  Tavern  at 
nine-twenty  in  the  morning  and  the  Regiment,  about  half  an 
hour  'later,  marched  by  the  little  old  tavern,  without  even 
stopping  for  breakfast,  and  formed  line  of  battle  with  the 
Second  Division  on  the  south  side  of  the  Catharpin  road, 
facing  southwesterly.  There  were  four  roads  from  Todd's 
Tavern,  one  running  north  to  the  Wilderness,  one  running 
northeast  to  Piney  Branch  church,  where  the  Ninth  Corps  had 
been  ordered,  one  going  southeasterly  to  Spottsylvania  Court 
House,  on  which  road  the  guns  of  Warren's  men  could  plainly 
be  heard,  and  the  other  running  southwesterly  to  Corbin's 
bridge,  over  the  Po  river.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  Gibbon's  Division  was  ordered  to  the  support  of  General 
Warren  and  took  the  road  toward  Spottsylvania  Court  House. 
The  Fifth  Corps  was  heavily  engaged  and  the  Regiment 
reached  the  scene  of  action  at  about  four  o'clock  and  halted 
by  the  roadside  to  allow  a  portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps  to  pass. 
The  Nineteenth  bivouacked  early  in  the  evening  of  the  8th, 
near  the  Brock  road  and  nearly  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  Warren's 
line  of  battle.  On  the  morning  of  the  9th,  at  about  ten 
o'clock,  Gibbon's  Division  countermarched  a  short  distance 
and  then  faced  to  the  south,  and  advanced  through  the  woods 
toward  the  Po  River,  near  the  old  road  that  ran  by  Hart's 
house.  The  Division  connected  on  the  left  with  the  Fifth 
Corps  and  on  the  right  with  Barlow's  Division,  which  had  also 
moved  southeasterly  since  the  preceding  morning.  While 
the  Division  was  in  the  line  of  battle,  facing,  and  near  the  Po, 
a  Confederate  wagon  train  was  seen  hurrying  along  the  road 
toward  the  Court  House  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
The  Nineteenth  was  hastily  thrown  out  as  skirmishers  and 
advanced  to  the  Po,  where  it  was  found  that  the  Confederates 
had  a  strong  line  of  flankers,  marching  along  near  the  south 
bank  of  the  river.  The  Regiment  was  halted  and  a  battery 
came  into  position  near  us  and  opened  fire  upon  the 
wagon  train.  A  stampede  was  created  among  the  mules 
and  mule  drivers,  which  furnished  amusement  for  the  Regi 
ment  for  a  short  time.  This  all  occurred  under  the  personal 
observation  of  Generals  Grant  and  Meade,  with  whom  General 


150  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Hancock  was  consulting  at  the  time,  and  it  probably  suggested 
to  Grant  the  project  of  attempting  to  crush  General 
Lee's  left  flank.  Barlow's  and  Birney's  Divisions  on  the 
right  soon  crossed  the  river  and  Gibbon's  Division  crossed  a 
little  later  in  the  afternoon,  between  Barlow's  Division  and 
Warren's  Corps,  on  a  temporary  bridge,  hastily  constructed. 
On  the  morning  of  May  loth,  the  three  Divisions  named, 
of  the  Second  Corps,  began  skirmishing  and  advancing  toward 
what  was  called  the  Block  House  bridge,  which  crossed  the 
Po  river,  within  the  Confederate  lines  south  of  the  river. 
It  was  here  that  Lieutenant  Sturgis  of  the  Twentieth  Massa 
chusetts  was  killed.  About  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon, 
the  Regiment  recrossed  the  Po  with  the  Division,  on  a  pontoon 
bridge  which  had  been  laid  near  the  place  where  we  crossed  the 
evening  before,  and  went  to  the  support  of  Warren's  Corps, 
which  was  heavily  engaged  down  the  Brock  road.  About  three 
in  the  afternoon  our  Division,  under  General  Gibbon,  reached 
the  line  held  by  the  Fifth  Corps  and  our  Brigade,  under  General 
Webb,  took  position  on  the  right  of  Carroll's  Third  Brigade,  and 
on  the  left  of  Crawford's  Division  of  the  Fifth  Corps.  The  line  in 
this  locality  was  commanded  by  General  Warren.  Gibbon's 
line  of  battle  was  strung  along  in  a  dense  wood, consisting  mostly 
of  dead  cedar  trees,  which  rendered  an  orderly  movement  of 
the  line  utterly  impossible.  Owen's  Brigade  was  in  reserve. 
Word  was  passed  along  the  line  that  when  Crawford's  Division 
charged  on  the  right,  Gibbon's  troops  were  to  cheer  and  join 
in  the  charge.  The  position  of  the  enemy  was  a  very  strong 
one  and  the  men  of  the  Regiment  hugged  the  ground  pretty 
closely  until  the  order  was  given  to  charge.  When  that  order 
was  received,  the  men  took  it  out  mostly  in  cheering,  but  it 
was  a  mournful  cheer.  We  advanced  about  the  same  dis 
tance  that  Crawford's  Division  did,  which  was  not  very  far. 
General  Carroll  claimed  that  some  of  his  Brigade  reached  the 
Confederate  works.  Many  of  the  wounded  were  burned  to 
death  in  the  fierce  conflagration  which  raged  in  the  dry  timber. 
Just  before  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  General  Hancock  came 
along  and  the  lines  were  readjusted,  with  the  understanding 
that  another  effort  was  to  be  made  to  take  the  strong  works 


BATTLE     OF     SPOTTSYLVANIA  15! 

of  the  Confederates  in  front.  It  seemed  to  the  men,  who 
knew,  as  well  as  the  officers,  that  these  repeated  charges 
placed  the  Union  forces  at  a  very  unfair  disadvantage  and 
sacrificed  hundreds  of  lives  without  adequate  compensation. 
Hancock  now  had  charge  of  the  Fifth  Corps  and  Gibbon's 
Division  of  the  Second.  The  soldiers  would  cheerfully  re 
spond  to  any  order  General  Hancock  might  give.  Our  Division 
had  more  confidence  because  he  was  there.  So  when  the 
order  was  given  to  charge,  Webb's  Brigade  went  forward  with 
the  rest  of  the  line,  with  a  wild  rush  toward  the  nearest  point 
of  the  Confederate  works.  On  account  of  the  trees  and  under 
brush  it  was  impossible  to  keep  a  regular  line  of  battle.  The 
troops  could  not  live  where  the  Confederate  artillery,  and 
more  particularly  its  infantry,  swept  the  ground  over  which 
the  Union  troops  charged.  The  works  to  be  captured  were 
on  higher  ground, but  the  troops  never  reached  the  Confederate 
intrenchments.  They  came  back  from  their  fruitless  effort 
in  some  disorder,  and  in  his  report,  subsequently  made,  General 
Webb  charged  that  the  second  line  of  battle,  consisting 
principally  of  Owen's  Brigade,  broke  to  the  rear.  In  this 
case  it  was  more  dangerous  to  be  in  the  second  line  of  battle 
than  in  the  advanced  line.  During  the  first,  and  particularly 
during  the  second  attack  the  woods  between  the  lines  took 
fire,  and  both  in  advancing  and  retreating  the  troops  had  to 
go  around  the  burning  places,  which  added  somewhat  to  the 
confusion. 

With  relation  to  these  charges  made  in  connection  with  the 
Fifth  Corps,  Colonel  Charles  H.  Banes,  the  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General  of  Webb's  Brigade,  and  who  had  excellent  facilities  for 
observation,  as  follows: 

"The  failure  of  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  did  not  deter  the  Gen 
eral  commanding  from  a  renewed  attempt  on  the  same  position.  Ac 
cordingly,  regiments  had  scarcely  reformed  before  an  officer  made  his 
appearance  with  directions  to  repeat  the  assault  at  precisely  six  o'clock. 
In  spite  of  the  horrible  losses  required  by  obedience  to  this  command 
there  was  an  approach  to  the  ridiculous  in  the  manner  of  its  communi 
cation.  No  officer  of  higher  rank  than  a  Brigade  Commander  had 
examined  the  approaches  to  the  enemy's  works  on  our  front,  and  the 
whole  expression  of  the  person  who  brought  the  message  seemed  to 
say  'The  General  commanding  is  doubtful  of  your  success.'  The 
moment  the  order  was  given,  the  messenger  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and 


I52          THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

rode  off,  lest  by  some  misunderstanding  the  assault  should  begin  before 
he  was  safe  out  of  the  range  of  the  enemy's  responsive  fire. 

"Promptly  at  the  appointed  hour  the  Division  moved  out  of  the 
woods  toward  the  coveted  works.  The  men  had  weighed  the  prob 
abilities  of  success  and  decided  that  the  attempt  was  Jiopeless.  The 
advance  along  the  line  was  made  without  enthusiasm,  and  it  continued 
only  a  short  distance,  when  a  halt  was  made  and  firing  commenced  and 
continued  for  a  brief  period,  when  the  whole  force  fell  back  as  suddenly 
as  before. 

"The  result  of  the  second  attempt,  although  not  attended  with  as 
heavy  loss  as  the  first,  was  more  demoralizing.  Some  of  the  best  troops 
of  the  Second  Corps,  the  equals  of  any  soldiers  that  ever  carried  arms, 
not  only  retired  without  any  real  attempt  to  carry  the  enemy's  works, 
but  actually  retreated  in  confusion  to  a  point  far  to  the  rear  of  the  origi 
nal  line,  and  remained  there  until  nearly  night.  Brigade  staff-officers 
who  were  sent  to  recall  the  scattered  troops  found  them  gathered  about 
their  regimental  flags,  quietly  preparing  coffee  and  comparing  expe 
riences  about  the  movement  on  Laurel  Hill.  In  the  two  attacks  of  this 
day,  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  lost  over  five  thousand  men,  while  it 
is  probable  that  the  enemy  did  not  lose  one  thousand." 

P|3  Mott's  Division  of  the  Second  Corps  had  been  sent  to  the 
left  and  was  formed  in  line  of  battle  between  the  left  of  the 
Sixth  Corps  and  the  right  of  the  Ninth,  early  in  the  day.  At 
the  same  time  as  one  of  the  charges  made  by  the  Nineteenth, 
Mott's  Division,  and  twelve  picked  regiments  under  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  Emery  Upton,  charged  at  different  places  to 
the  left  of  the  Spottsylvania  road.  General  Mott  was  unable 
to  accomplish  anything,  but  the  troops  under  Upton  won  im 
perishable  renown.  They  captured  the  enemy's  works,  in 
cluding  over  a  thousand  prisoners,  but,  not  being  properly 
supported,  were  compelled  to  fall  back.  This  gallant  attack 
of  Upton's  is  mentioned  in  order  to  record  the  fact  that  the 
Fifth  and  Sixth  Maine  Volunteers  formed  a  portion  of  Upton's 
storming  party  and  won  honor  on  the  field  of  battle  for  the 
Pine  Tree  State. 

There  had  been  no  losses  in  the  Regiment  since  leaving 
the  Wilderness  battlefield,  until  May  loth.  The  loss  would 
have  been  much  heavier  on  this  day  had  it  not  been  that 
we  were  partially  screened  from  sight  by  the  dense  woods 
in  front. 

The  Regiment  with  the  rest  of  Webb's  Brigade  threw 
up  works  during  the  night  and  remained  in  position  with 
the  other  Brigades  of  the  Division  during  the  iith.  There 
was  no  heavy  engagement  on  this  day  but  the  troops 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  153 

upon  both  sides  were  constantly  engaged  in  constructing  and 
strengthening  their  intrenchments  and  each  seeking  for  a 
weak  point  in  the  other's  position.  The  sharpshooters  of  the 
enemy  commanded  completely  the  position  of  our  line  of 
battle.  In  the  afternoon  of  May  nth,  it  rained  hard,  and 
late  in  the  evening  word  was  passed  along  the  line  to  get  ready 
to  move  with  the  utmost  quiet  and  secrecy.  Sometime  before 
midnight  our  Division  of  the  Second  Corps,  having  been  pre 
ceded  by  the  First  and  Third,  much  earlier  in  the  evening, 
started  toward  the  rear  and  left  of  the  line  of  battle  and  soon 
after  midnight  the  Nineteenth,  with  Webb's  Brigade,  reached 
the  ground  of  Mott's  futile  attack,  on  the  left,  near  Brown's 
house,  on  the  preceding  afternoon.  Orders  were  issued  that 
strict  silence  must  be  observed  throughout  the  entire  command 
during  this  march  to  the  left.  Arms  and  accoutrements, 
canteens,  haversacks  and  tin  dippers  were  to  be  carried  so  as 
to  make  no  noise,  and  all  commands  were  given  in  whispers. 
Staff  officers  were  seen  whispering  to  regimental  commanders 
and  pointing  the  way.  The  movement  over  rough  ground 
and  through  woods  was  necessarily  slow,  with  frequent  halts, 
at  which  time  the  men,  worn  out  by  loss  of  sleep,  and  the 
terrible  nervous  strain  which  they  had  endured  during  the 
past  eight  days,  would  drop  down  for  a  moment's  rest  and 
fall  asleep  almost  as  soon  as  they  touched  the  ground.  A 
particularly  laughable  incident  took  place  during  one  of  the 
halts.  A  pack  mule,  on  which  was  strapped  blankets  and 
cooking  utensils,  of  some  officer's  mess,  had  become  frightened 
at  something  far  in  the  advance,  and  had  broken  away  from 
his  darkey  attendant.  The  mule  came  galloping  back  be 
tween  us  and  the  enemy,  but  hugging  close  to  Gibbon's 
Division.  The  kettles  and  frying  pans  struck  the  trees  along 
the  mule's  flight  and  every  few  leaps  the  mule  let  off  panic- 
stricken  brays  that  could  be  heard  a  mile,  followed  by  dis 
embowelled  groans,  that  struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the 
tired  soldiers.  It  seemed  for  a  minute  as  though  a  legion  of 
devils  armed  with  frying  pans  and  mounted  on  mules  were 
charging  the  Union  lines.  Some  regiments  started  on  the 
run  through  the  woods  as  though  his  Satanic  Majesty  was 


154  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

after  them.  Fortunately  no  shots  were  fired  in  the  excite 
ment  and  the  stampede  was  soon  checked. 

During  the  day  an  order  was  promulgated,  stating  that 
Butler  had  captured  Petersburg  and  that  Sherman  had 
whipped  Joe  Johnston  somewhere  in  Georgia,  all  of  which 
was  encouraging  to  the  men,  but  none  of  which  was  true. 

It  had  been  a  long,  tiresome  march;  but,  in  fact,  the 
Division  when  it  formed  in  line  of  battle  in  the  early  morning  of 
the  1 2th,  was  not  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  left  of  its 
position  on  the  preceding  day.  The  old  Second  Corps  was  to 
assault  the  salient, — the  projecting  angle  of  the  Confederate 
fortification — which  had  been  pushed  out  to  the  north,  nearly 
to  the  Landron  house.  This  portion  of  the  Confederate  line 
was  held  by  "Stonewall"  Jackson's  old  Corps,  now  commanded 
by  Ewell.  The  Union  lines  of  battle  were  formed  before 
light,  to  the  south  of  the  Brown  house  and  in  front  of  some 
abandoned  intrenchments.  There  was  a  clearing  which  ran 
from  the  vicinity  of  the  Brown  house  to  the  Landron  house, 
which  was  a  little  to  the  left  of  the  ground  over  which  the 
charge  was  to  be  made.  Aside  from  this  clearing,  which 
curved  to  the  right,  looking  from  Brown's  to  Landron's  on 
toward  the  enemy,  the  ground  in  front  was  thickly  wooded. 
Barlow's  Division,  which  had  done  such  brilliant  work  south 
of  the  Po  River  on  the  loth,  was  given  the  place  of  honor  in 
leading  the  charge. 

The  troops  of  the  Second  Corps  were  now  formed  for  the 
grand  assault.  Birney's  Division  was  placed  on  the  right  in 
two  lines  of  battle,  separated  by  a  few  paces.  Barlow's 
Division  was  placed  on  Birney's  left,  in  column  of  regiments, 
doubled  on  the  center.  Mott's  Division  was  formed  in  Bir 
ney's  rear  in  single  line  of  battle.  Gibbon's  Division  was 
formed  in  two  lines  of  battle,  Webb's  Brigade  being  in  the 
second  line  and  the  Division  being  in  the  rear  and  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  line  occupied  by  Birney  and  Barlow. 
Here  was  an  almost  solid  rectangular  mass  of  nearly  twenty 
thousand  men  to  charge  against  the  enemy's  works.  The 
same  tactics,  only  on  a  larger  scale,  were  to  be  employed  that 
Upton  used  two  days  before.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  155 

to  see  anything  (for  there  was  a  dense  fog  at  the  time),  the 
whole  Corps  stepped  oft  together. 

Webb's  Brigade  was  in  the  rear  line  of  battle  on  the  ex 
treme  right,  and,  however  solicitous  the  men  of  the  old  Nine 
teenth  might  have  been  for  glory,  no  loud  complaints  were 
heard  that  morning  because  the  Regiment  was  not  in  the  front 
line.  The  charging  column  had  to  travel  about  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  its  starting  point  to  the  enemy's  line  of  works. 
The  Regiment  had  to  struggle  through  thickets,  over  fallen 
timber  and  across  boggy  ground,  which  retarded  the  advance 
and  disarranged  the  lines.  The  distance  was  covered,  how 
ever,  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time.  Nothing  was 
heard  until  the  Confederate  picket  reserve  at  the  Landron 
house  fired  into  the  left  flank  of  Barlow's  men,  killing  and 
wounding  several.  As  soon  as  the  men  in  front  could  see  the 
works  at  the  salient  they  burst  into  a  loud  cheer  and  rushed 
forward.  The  shot  and  shell  from  the  Confederate  lines 
generally  passed  over  the  heads  of  the  Regiment.  Webb's 
line  hurried  forward  and  when,  without  much  regard  to  for 
mation,  it  reached  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  a  terrible  con 
test  was  raging.  Many  prisoners  had  passed  over  the  breast 
works  on  their  way  to  the  rear.  The  writer  remembers  well 
of  seeing  Anson  Turner,  a  private  in  Company  F,  step  up  to 
a  Confederate  officer  and  slap  him  on  the  shoulder,  hard 
enough  to  fairly  stagger  him,  and  shout:  "How  are  you, 
Johnny  Reb,  this  morning?  I  am  d—  — d  glad  to  see  you." 
The  oificer  did  not  reciprocate  this  friendly  greeting.  General 
Hancock  had  lost  his  hat  and  was  seen  bareheaded  long  before 
the  troops  reached  the  works.  The  Regiment  climbed  over 
the  breastworks  and  joined  in  the  wild  pursuit.  Some  of  the 
enemy  had  retreated,  hastily  firing  as  they  went.  Major 
Welch  was  severely  wounded  near  the  breastworks,  but  not 
until  he  had  captured  the  flag  of  the  Thirty-third  Virginia,  a 
regiment  which  belonged  to  the  "Stonewall"  brigade,  com 
manded  then  by  General  Walker,  who  escaped  capture. 
Major  Welch  took  the  flag  to  the  rear  and  this  practically 
ended  his  military  service  at  the  front.  On  May  3Oth  Major 
Welch  addressed  a  letter  to  General  Hancock,  from  Armory 


156  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

Square  Hospital,  Washington,  where  he  was  being  treated 
for  his  wound,  stating  that  he  then  had  the  flag  of  the  Thirty- 
third  Virginia  with  him,  which  he  captured  May  i2th.  Major 
Welch  stated  that  the  occasion  of  writing  this  lefter  was  that 
he  learned  that  General  Hancock  had  been  making  inquiries 
about  the  flag.  Major  Welch  further  stated  that  he  had  in 
tended  to  send  the  flag  to  the  Governor  of  Maine,  but  would 
do  as  Hancock  might  direct.  A  peppery  indorsement  was 
made  on  this  letter  by  General  Meade,  alleging  that,  under  the 
circumstances,  Major  Welch's  conduct  in  carrying  the  flag  to 
Washington  was  "exceedingly  reprehensible."  The  flag  was 
returned,  but  no  fair-minded  man  believes  that  Meade's 
indorsement  was  justified,  even  if  the  army  regulations  had 
not  been  strictly  observed. 

While  pursuing  the  enemy  between  the  salient  and  the 
McCool  house,  our  Brigade  commander,  Gen.  Webb,  who  was 
a  most  popular  and  deserving  officer,  was  severely  wounded  in 
the  head  and  was  borne  from  the  field.  The  Confederates 
rallied  near  a  second  line  of  breastworks.  General  Lee  came 
near  being  captured  here.  The  Union  lines  were  thoroughly 
disorganized,  each  man  fighting  independently,  and  our  men 
were  forced  back  slowly  toward  the  line  of  works  which  had 
been  first  taken.  Up  to  this  time  the  attack  had  been  a 
brilliant  success.  The  charge  and  pursuit  had  continued  for 
nearly  two  miles.  All  semblance  of  regimental  formation 
had  disappeared  and  when  the  well  organized  counter  attack 
was  made  by  the  enemy,  the  Union  troops  fell  back  and  took 
refuge  behind  the  captured  works.  These  offered  a  good 
protection  from  the  furious  assaults  of  the  enemy  during  the 
day.  Mott  now  had  the  right  of  the  Second  Corps  line 
connecting  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  Birney  came  next,  then 
Gibbon,  and  Barlow  held  the  left  of  the  line.  When  the 
lines  were  reformed  behind  the  captured  works  it  was  be 
tween  five  and  six  o'clock. 

In  this  assault,  the  Second  Corps  had  captured  4,000 
prisoners,  upward  of  thirty  stands  of  colors  and  eighteen 
cannon.  Among  the  prisoners  were  Major-General  Edward 
Johnson  and  Brigadier-General  George  H.  Steuart.  The 


"<*^ 


Alexander  S.    Webb, 
Brevet  Mai  or- General,  U.S.A.  and  U.  S.V. 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  157 

enemy's  strong  line  of  works  for  nearly  a  mile  had  been 
captured  and  was  retained  during  the  day.  Johnson  was  a 
graduate  of  West  Point  and  was  there  with  General  Hancock. 
When  he,  with  the  other  prisoners,  went  to  the  rear,  Hancock 
at  once  stepped  forward  and,  in  that  graceful  and  courtly 
manner  so  familiar  to  his  soldiers,  extended  his  hand,  say 
ing:  "General  Johnson,  I  am  glad  to  see  you."  Johnson 
took  his  hand,  and  with  tears  coursing  down  his  face,  replied: 
"General  Hancock,  this  is  worse  than  death  to  me."  With 
a  smile  on  his  face,  Hancock  answered:  "This  is  the  fate 
of  war,  General,  and  you  must  not  forget  that  you  are  a  sol 
dier."  He  then  turned  and  cordially  offered  his  hand  to 
Steuart,  who  drew  back  and  remarked:  "Under  the  cir 
cumstances,  I  decline  to  take  your  hand."  Quickly  came 
the  response  from  General  Hancock:  "Under  any  other  cir 
cumstances,  sir,  it  would  not  have  been  offered."  General 
Hancock  then  turned  his  back  on  Steuart  and  entered  into 
conversation  with  Johnson,  and  shortly  after  ordered  Captain 
Mitchell,  one  of  his  Aides,  to  supply  General  Johnson  with  a 
horse  and  accompany  him  to  Meade's  headquarters.  Colonel 
Joseph  N.  Brown,  of  the  Fourteenth  South  Carolina  Regiment, 
commanding  McGowan's  Brigade  that  day,  states  in  a  letter 
of  recent  date  that  he  heard  Johnson,  after  his  exchange,  relate 
the  above  conversation  which  took  place  between  General 
Hancock  and  himself,  and  Hancock  and  Steuart.  Colonel 
Brown  writes  of  Johnson  that  he  was  "one  of  'Stonewall'  Jack 
son's  generals  on  whom,  next  to  Ewell,  Lee  greatly  relied/'  He 
was  much  of  a  gentleman,  as  well  as  a  brave  soldier.  He 
died  in  Richmond  in  1880."  Steuart  resided  in  retirement 
after  the  close  of  the  war  in  Anne  Arundel  County,  Maryland, 
where  he  died  near  the  close  of  1903. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  General  Wright's  column, 
comprising  a  portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  marched  upon  the 
field  and  was  conducted  by  one  of  Hancock's  staff 
officers  to  the  right  of  Gibbon's  Division,  where  the  fighting 
was  desperate.  While  at  this  point  of  observation,  a  shell 
exploded  and  a  piece  of  it  hit  Wright  upon  the  thigh, 
but  he  did  not  leave  the  field.  A  few  minutes  afterward 


158  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Brigadier-General  L.  A.  Grant's  Vermont  Brigade  marched  up 
close  to  the  works  and  was  ordered  to  support  Gibbon's 
Division,  and  he  also  relieved  a  portion  of  Barlow's  line. 

The  Confederate  intrenchments  were  built»of  large  logs, 
piled  several  thick,  one  upon  the  other,  and  the  spaces  be 
tween  them  filled  in  with  dirt.  It  was  as  high  as  a  man's 
head  and  its  width  and  solidity  made  it  a  formidable  obstacle. 
There  was  an  abattis  in  front  along  a  portion  of  the  line,  sub 
stantially  built.1 

Soon  after  the  works  were  captured  it  began  to  rain. 
There  was  some  thunder  and  heavy  showers,  especially  in 
the  forenoon,  and  the  warm,  damp  air  mingled  with  the 
smoke  of  the  battle  made  it  difficult  to  see  far  in  advance. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  it  rained  steadily. 

Who  can  describe  that  desperate  struggle  of  May  12,  1864? 
Able  writers  have  attempted  to  give  graphic  accounts  of  the 
engagement.  It  was  probably  the  fiercest  battle  of  the  war. 
From  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  after  midnight,  twenty 
long  hours,  the  battle  raged  furiously  and  continuously.  The 
works  captured  by  the  Second  Corps  in  the  morning  were  held 
by  that  Corps  and  the  Sixth  during  the  day.  The  enemy 
sought  to  recover  these  works.  Repeated  unsuccessful 
charges  were  made  against  them  during  the  day.  Along  these 
breastworks  for  nearly  a  mile,  in  a  drenching  rain,  with  the 
Confederates  on  one  side  and  the  Union  soldiers  on  the  other, 
firing  directly  into  each  others  faces,  the  awful  contest  was 
waged.  Bayonet  thrusts  were  given  across  the  intrenchments 
and  soldiers  reversed  their  rifles  and  clubbed  each  other  over 
the  head.  Wounded  men,  bleeding,  and  blackened  with  the 
smoke  of  battle,  were  limping  and  crawling  to  the  rear. 
Squads  of  Confederates  at  first  placed  dirty  handkerchiefs  on 
their  bayonets,  and  when  near  our  lines,  lowered  their  rifles 
and  fired  into  our  faces.  The  same  trick  did  not  work,  how 
ever,  a  little  later,  when  tried  the  second  time.  During  the 
day  ammunition  was  brought  in  boxes  on  men's  shoulders  and 

1  In  1902,  the  writer  visited  this  battlefield,  and  these  works, 
after  thirty-eight  years,  were  in  many  places  more  than  four  feet 
high,  and  he  brought  away  many  pieces  of  shell  and  bullets  taken 
from  the  intrenchments. 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  159 

passed  to  the  men.  Some  men  of  the  Regiment  fired  two 
hundred  rounds  of  cartridges  each  that  day. 

Artillery  was  brought  up  in  the  morning  and  the  guns 
were  planted  on  elevated  ground  in  the  rear  of  the  Union 
lines  and  shot  and  exploding  shells  were  fired  over  the  heads 
of  the  troops.  In  a  few  places  guns  were  pushed  up  close  to 
our  lines,  where  they  poured  canister  into  the  faces  of  the 
Confederates.  A  section  of  Brown's  Battery  (B),  First  Rhode 
Island,  took  position  on  the  right  of  our  Division  and  very  near 
the  Nineteenth  and  did  excellent  service  during  the  day.  A  gun 
with  six  horses  attached  went  galloping  into  position  in  the 
rear  of  the  Brigade  with  one  horse  dead  and  dragged  along  by 
the  others.  Large  standing  trees  were  literally  cut  down  by 
infantry  fire  and  small  trees  and  limbs  were  whipped  into 
splinters.  The  dead  in  front  of  our  lines,  in  some  places, 
were  piled  two  and  three  deep,  the  wounded  so  helpless  that 
they  could  not  crawl  away,  and  the  mangled,  torn  and  bleeding 
forms  were  sights  never  to  be  forgotten  on  earth. 

Between  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  and  midnight  the 
Regiment  got  together,  in  a  low  place  in  the  woods,  a  short 
distance  to  the  rear  of  our  line  of  battle.  The  men  had  been 
scattered  during  the  day  along  the  Brigade,  if  not  along  the 
whole  Division  front.  The  confusion  and  mingling  of  the 
different  organizations  in  the  morning's  charge  had  not  been 
entirely  repaired  during  the  progress  of  the  battle.  While 
the  firing  in  front  had  somewhat  slackened  after  dark,  it  had 
not  wholly  ceased  until  after  midnight.  It  was  a  dirty  and 
despondent  crowd  of  soldiers  who  gathered  about  the  smoul 
dering  fires,  made  their  coffee  and  recounted  the  experiences 
of  the  day.  Some  members  of  the  Regiment  went  back  to  the 
field  hospitals  to  hunt  for  wounded  comrades,  and  the  others 
dropped  upon  the  wet  ground  and  went  to  sleep. 

What  a  tired,  wet,  dirty,  hungry  crowd  the  Regiment  was 
on  the  morning  of  the  I3th  of  May!  What  a  contrast  between 
its  appearance  then  and  eight  days  before!  Colonel  Connor, 
Major  Welch,  Captains  Parsons,  Whitehouse  and  Smart,  and 
Lieutenants  Emery,  Palmer,  Pierce  and  Nye  had  been  wound 
ed.  Many  familiar  faces  were  missing  among  the  rank  and 


l6o  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

file.  It  would  be  many  months  before  the  Regiment  would 
again  see  the  soldierly  form  of  General  Webb,  and  in  the 
death  of  General  Sedgwick,  who  had  formerly  commanded  our 
(Second)  Division  of  the  Second  Corps,  many  felt  a  personal 
bereavement. 

General  Francis  A.  Walker,  who  served  on  Hancock's 
staff  as  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  in  discussing  the  struggle 
of  the  enemy  for  the  recovery  of  the  salient,  writes:  "Never 
since  the  discovery  of  gunpowder  had  such  a  mass  of  lead  been 
hurled  into  a  space  so  narrow"  as  that  covered  by  the  day's 
operations  of  the  Second  Corps.  A  large  oak  tree  was  cut 
down  by  the  bullets  in  front  of,  and  just  to  the  right  of,  the 
Brigade.  Many  of  the  Regiment  saw  the  fallen  tree  during  the 
afternoon.  The  stump  of  this  tree  can  still  be  seen  in  the 
National  Museum  at  Washington,  where  it  stands  with  this 
inscription:  "Section  of  an  oak,  about  two  and  a  half  feet 
through,  which  stood  within  the  Confederate  intrenchments 
near  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  which  was  cut  down  by 
musket  balls  during  the  attempt  to  recapture  the  works, 
previously  carried  by  the  Second  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac." 

On  this  morning  the  Regiment,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Nash,  advanced  to  the  front,  where  it  remained  all  day. 
The  Fifth  Corps  occupied  the  right  of  the  line,  then  the  Sixth, 
Second  and  Ninth,  and  all  crowded  into  the  space  around  the 
historic  "angle"  and  extending  from  the  Ny  river  on  the  left 
to  the  Todd's  Tavern  road  on  the  right,  near  the  point  where 
General  Sedgwick  was  killed  three  days  before.  Russell's 
Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps  occupied  the  salient.  Owen's 
Brigade,  under  General  Carroll,  was  put  upon  the  skirmish  line 
and  pushed  forward  near  the  McCool  House.  The  enemy  had 
retired  during  the  night  to  a  new  line  of  works  constructed 
near  what  was  called  the  Harrison  house,  being  about  one-half 
mile  south  of  its  position  occupied  the  previous  morning. 
General  Carroll, who  was  suffering  from  a  wound  received  in  the 
Wilderness,  was  again  severely  wounded  while  urging  forward 
the  brigade  of  skirmishers  which  he  commanded.  This  time 
he  was  wounded  in  the  left  arm,  the  rifle  ball  completely  de 
stroying  the  elbow.  He  had  been  Colonel  of  the  Eighth  Ohio 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  l6l 

Volunteers.  Spottsylvania  was  General  Carroll's  last  battle. 
He  was  a  brave  officer  and  very  popular  with  his  men.  His 
familiar  figure  was  sadly  missed  by  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  al 
though  the  Regiment  was  never  under  his  immediate  command. 
This  day  the  Third  and  Fourth  Divisions  of  the  Corps,  com 
manded  by  Generals  Birney  and  Mott,  respectively,  were  con 
solidated  under  the  command  of  General  Birney.  Mott  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  one  of  the  Brigades.  General 
Meade  issued  a  circular  on  the  i3th  congratulating  the  army  on 
its  success  in  the  last  eight  days'  contest,  and  especially  on  the 
brilliant  victory  of  the  I2th  at  the  salient.  He  recounted  the 
surmise  that  the  enemy  had  "abandoned  the  last  intrenched 
position,"  but  the  soldiers  knew  that  he  had  constructed 
another  line  of  works,  equally  strong,  four  or  five  hundred 
yards  in  the  rear  of  those  captured  by  the  Second  Corps  on 
the  preceding  day. 

The  First  and  Second  Brigades  of  our  Division  were  ad 
vanced  in  front  of  the  captured  works  and  the  Third  Brigade 
held  in  reserve.  A  strong  skirmish  line  was  advanced  and 
developed  the  enemy's  new  position,  in  front  of  which  were  the 
Confederate  skirmishers.  The  Regiment  suffered  no  loss 
during  the  day  and  was  relieved  during  the  night.  On  the 
1 4th  of  May  the  Regiment  was  in  line  of  battle  all  day.  The 
batteries  at,  and  to  the  right  of,  the  Landron  house  opened 
fire  upon  the  enemy  in  the  very  early  morning.  Between 
seven  and  eight  o'clock  a  strong  skirmish  line  from  the  First 
Division  advanced  up  very  near  to  the  enemy's  works  and 
remained  there  firing  all  day.  At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  May  1 5th,  our  Division,  preceded  by  Barlow's,  marched  to 
the  rear  and  to  the  left,  passing  near  Army  headquarters. 
These  two  Divisions  went  as  far  as  the  Fredericksburg  road, 
and  just  at  night  our  Division  marched  a  portion  of  the  way 
back  towards  its  position  in  the  morning,  where  it  rested  all 
night.  The  Regiment  had  a  good  rest  on  May  i6th  until 
nearly  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Then  the  Division 
packed  up  and  marched  to  the  Cousins  house,  which  was 
outside  of  the  picket  line  and  several  miles  to  the  rear  of  the 
right  of  the  Union  line  of  battle.  Here  were  the  Second  and 


I  62 


THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 


Sixth  Corps  hospitals,  which  the  Confederates  had  had  pos 
session  of  and  rifled,  and  which  the  Division  removed  with 
teams  and  ambulances  within  the  Union  lines.  On  this  day, 
General  Tyler's  Division  of  heavy  artillery,  from  the  defense  of 
Washington,  and  the  Corcoran  Legion,  consisting  of  four 
Irish  regiments  from  New  York,  comprising  in  all  about  8,000 
men,  were  assigned  to  the  Second  Corps.  Among  the  heavy 
artillery  regiments  of  this  Division  was  the  First  Maine,  under 
command  of  Colonel  Daniel  Chaplin.  On  May  lyththe  Regi 
ment  rested  until  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  it 
fell  in  with  the  Division  and  moved  toward  the  right  and  the 
front. 

All  night  troops  were  marching  up  and  forming  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  place  where  our  Regiment  halted,  and  among 
the  troops  the  Corcoran  Legion  was  particularly  noticeable 
by  reason  of  their  brilliantly  colored  uniforms. 

Colonel  H.  B.  McKeen,  Eighty-first  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  was  here  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First  Brigade 
of  the  Second  Division,  and  commanded  the  Brigade  until  the 
battle  of  Cold  Harbor. 

In  the  early  morning  of  May  i8th,  the  Regiment  found 
itself  near  the  same  place  where  it  charged  at  daybreak  May 
1 2th.  The  space  in  front  of  and  to  the  right  of  the  Landron 
house  was  filled  with  the  troops  of  the  Second  Corps.  The 
Sixth  Corps  was  on  the  right  and  occupied  the  old  works  to 
the  east  of  the  salient.  Barlow's  Division  joined  the  Second 
Division  on  the  left,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  right.  The 
Division  was  formed  for  the  charge  with  the  First  and  Fourth 
Brigades  in  the  front.  The  First  was  on  the  left  and  adjoining 
Barlow's  Division.  The  Nineteenth  had  position  on  the  left 
of  the  Brigade  and  was  today  in  command  of  Captain  Nash. 
The  Fourth  Brigade  was  made  up  of  the  Corcoran  Legion  and 
was  placed  in  line  on  the  right  of  the  First  Brigade.  Owen's 
and  Smyth's  Brigades,  the  Second  and  Third,  were  formed  in 
the  rear  in  line  of  battalions  en  masse.  The  old  Regiment 
found  itself  in  the  front  line  of  battle  and  facing  a  serious  and 
doubtful  proposition.  At  a  little  after  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  the  lines  of  battle  moved  out  over  the  works  and  to- 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  163 

ward  the  old  McCool  house.  When  they  came  into  the  clear 
ing  to  the  north  and  east  of  that  house,  the  enemy  opened 
with  shell  and  canister.  The  Confederates  were  posted  in 
strong  works,  their  front  being  completely  covered  by  fallen 
trees  and  slashing.  Some  of  the  troops  near  the  center  of 
the  Division  were  protected  by  thick  woods  in  front,  which 
prevented  the  enemy  from  reaching  all  portions  of  the  Di 
vision  line.  The  enemy's  fire,  however,  was  so  heavy  that  the 
troops  made  but  little  headway  and  were  forced  to  retire. 
Many  of  the  regiments  had  not  fired  a  gun.  The  Corcoran 
Legion  on  the  right,  when  it  came  to  falling  back,  did  not 
wait  upon  the  order  of  their  going.  Owen's  Brigade  in  the 
rear  behaved  so  badly  that  General  Gibbon  later  preferred 
charges  against  Owen  for  disobedience  of  orders.  The  Regi 
ment  lost  about  fifteen  men  in  wounded  and  prisoners. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  one  or  two  men  belonging  to  the 
Regiment  were  taken  prisoners.  Another  useless  and  foolish 
charge  had  been  made  without  accomplishing  anything, 
unless  it  was  to  determine  that  the  enemy  was  still  there  and 
able  to  defend  his  works.  Neither  Wright  nor  Burnside  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  very  near  the  enemy's  works.  General 
Humphreys  speaks  of  the  wounded  of  the  i8th  of  May  as 
"almost  entirely  of  the  Second  Corps,"  so  one  would  natu 
rally  suppose  that  neither  Wright  nor  Burnside  advanced  very 
far  that  morning.  The  ground  in  some  places  was  nearly 
covered  with  dead  soldiers  who  had  fallen  on  the  I2th  and 
had  lain  there  unburied  and  exposed  to  the  hot  sun  for  six 
days.  All  the  way  from  the  old  intrenchments  to  the  McCool 
house  were  thousands  of  dead  soldiers  and  many  dead  horses. 
The  dead  men  were  nearly  all  black  in  the  face  and  bloated, 
and  the  stench  that  came  from  the  battlefield  made  many  of 
the  soldiers  extremely  sick.  It  was  a  pitiful  and  hideous  sight! 
About  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  the  Regiment  started 
with  the  Division  and  marched  to  the  rear  and  the  left  and 
went  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  Union  line,  crossed  the 
Fredericksburg  and  Spottsylvania  road  and  halted  near 
Anderson's  mill,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ny  river.  This  place 
was  three  miles  from  the  Court  House.  The  Corps  all  as- 


164  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

sembled  near  this  point,  except  the  Fourth  Division,  and  the 
Nineteenth  went  on  picket.  About  six  o'clock  the  next  after 
noon,  May  1 9th,  Swell's  Corps  made  an  attack  upon  Tyler's 
Division  near  the  Harris  house  on  the  Fretfericksburg  road, 
north  of  the  Ny  river  and  in  the  rear  of  the  Union  lines. 
Birney's  Division  was  hurried  off  to  the  relief  of  Tyler.  Con 
siderable  excitement  was  caused  by  this  attack  in  the  rear,  as 
the  firing  could  be  plainly  heard  by  the  Regiment.  General 
Hancock  galloped  off  and  took  command  of  the  troops  in  the 
engagement.  It  was  a  sharp  and  short  fight,  and  Ewell  was 
driven  off.  This  was  the  first  engagement  of  the  First  Maine 
Heavy  Artillery  and  its  loss  was  large,  but,  it  acquitted  it 
self  with  honor. 

It  was  on  May  iQth  that  the  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin 
Regiment  joined  our  Brigade.  It  was  a  large  and  splendid 
Regiment  and  its  brave  Colonel,  Frank  A.  Haskell,  com 
manded  the  Brigade  for  a  few  hours  at  Cold  Harbor  the 
next  month,  where  he  was  killed. 

The  Regiment  remained  on  picket  until  the  evening  of 
the  1 9th,  when  it  was  relieved  and  marched  to  the  rear.  A 
welcome  mail  was  delivered,  and  after  supper  the  boys  sat 
around  the  fires  reading  letters  from  home.  Here  we  rested 
until  the  evening  of  May  2oth. 

The  Union  forces  had  now  been  fighting  around  Spottsyl- 
vania  Court  House  for  twelve  days.  The  losses  in  the  Regi 
ment  had  been  severe,  as  the  following  list  will  show: 

CASUALTIES  AT  BATTLE  OF  SPOTTSYLVANIA. 
(Including  Po  River)  May  8th  to  18th,  1864. 

Major  James  W.  Welch,  wounded,  May  12th;  Captain  Nehemiah 
Smart,  Company  E,  wounded,  May  12th;  First  Lieutenant  George  R. 
Palmer,  Company  I,  wounded,  May  10th;  Second  Lieutenant  Henry 
W.  Nye,  Company  C,  wounded,  May  12. 

Company  A. 

Sergeant  Leonard  H.  Washburn,  killed,  May  10th;  George  H. 
Hussey,  killed,  May  12th;  Loring  W.  Willey,  killed,  May  10th;  Charles 
H.  Bigelow,  wounded,  May  12th;  William  Blake,  wounded,  May  12th; 
John  Donahue,  wounded,  May  10th;  Franklin  Eastman,  wounded, 
May  10th;  Charles  H.  Groves,  wounded,  May  12th;  Robert  W. 
Groves,  wounded,  May  llth;  Thomas  J.  Hurley,  wounded,  May  10th; 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  165 

Amos  R.  Jones,  wounded,  May  12th;  Stephen  D.  Morrill,  wounded, 
May  10th;  Robert  Sumner,  wounded,  May  10th;  Benjamin  F.  Shaw, 
wounded,  May  10th;  George  E.  Stevens,  wounded,  May  10th. 

Company  B. 

Andrew  J.  Knowles,  killed,  May  12th;  Edgar  S.  Batchelder, 
wounded,  May  12th;  Wilbur  Crockett,  wounded,  May  12th,  died 
Columbia  Hospital,  Washington,  June  23d,  1864;  Orson  E.  Crum- 
mett,  wounded,  May  12th,  died,  June  9th,  1864;  Charles  F.  French, 
wounded,  May  12th,;  Corporal  Washington  Patterson,  wounded, 
May  12th;  Corporal  Walter  B.  Shaw,  wounded  May  12th;  Loran 
Waltz,  wounded,  May  12th;  Benjamin  F.  Ward,  wounded,  May  12th. 

Company  C. 

Asa  Plummer,  killed,  May  12th;  Sergeant  Eugene  A.  Boulter, 
wounded,  May  10th;  Corporal  Russell  B.  Gray,  wounded,  May  10th; 
Mayo  Bickmore,  wounded,  May  18th;  Reuben  A.  Huse,  wounded, 
May  12th;  Nathan  D.  Hoxie,  wounded,  May  12th;  Charles  Manter, 
wounded,  May  12th;  John  G.  Pierce,  taken  prisoner,  May  12th. 

Company  D. 

Adolph  Bohnn,  wounded,  May  10th;  George  H.  Day,  wounded 
May  18th;  Enoch  Hollis,  Jr.,  wounded,  May  10th. 

Company  E. 

Corporal  Robert  F.  Staples,  killed,  May  12th;  Thomas  S.  Blan- 
chard,  killed,  May  12th;  William  J.  Colson,  killed,  May  12th;  Cor 
poral  John  B.  Campbell,  wounded,  May  10th;  A.  J.  Curtis,  wounded, 
May  12th;  Harvey  T.  Herns  (or  Harris),  wounded,  May  12th;  Alpheus 
F.  Morman,  wounded,  May  10th;  Parish  L.  Strout,  wounded,  May 
12th;  Corporal  Fred  A.  Nickerson,  taken  prisoner,  May  12th,  also 
reported  killed  in  action,  May  12th. 

Company  F. 

Sergeant  Walter  Jerald,  wounded,  May  12th;  Samuel  T.  Blake, 
wounded,  May  12th,  died,  July  5th;  Michael  King,  wounded,  May  10th; 
Addison  D.  Gilbert,  prisoner,  May  12th;  Patrick  Sweeney,  taken 
prisoner,  May  12th,  died  in  Andersonville  Prison,  August  27th. 

Company  G. 

Sergeant  William  P.  Worthing,  wounded,  May  12th;  Benjamin 
R.  Marston,  wounded,  May  12th;  William  B.  Small,  wounded,  May 
12th. 

Company  H. 

Martin  V.  B.  Dodge,  killed,  May  12th;  Luke  T.  Richardson, 
killed,  May  12th;  Corporal  H.  H.  Murphy,  wounded,  May  12th; 
Corporal  John  H.  Pollard,  wounded,  May  12th,  died  at  Finley  Hos 
pital,  Washington,  May  29th;  Corporal  James  L.  Small,  wounded, 
May  18th;  Jackson  Cayford,  wounded,  May  18th;  Albert  V.  French, 
wounded,  May  12th;  John  Huntley,  wounded,  May  10th;  Nahum 
B.  Pinkham,  wounded,  May  10th;  George  Tucker,  wounded,  May 
10th. 


l66  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Company  I. 

John  H.  Dixon,  killed,  May  10th;  John  Reed,  killed,  May  10th; 
Sergeant  George  E.  Holmes,  wounded,  May  12th,  died  June  15th; 
John  Emerson,  wounded,  May  12th;  Edwin  S.  Jacobs,  wounded, 
May  10th;  William  H.  Hall,  wounded,  May  10th,  died  in  Washing 
ton  from  amputation,  September  5th;  William  H.  Little,  wounded, 
May  12th;  Freeman  G.  Pierce,  wounded,  May  12th. 

Company  K. 

Ezra  L.  Fowles,  killed,  May  9th;  Philander  H.  Tobie,  killed, 
May  12th;  Corporal  Lawrence  J.  Rourke,  wounded,  May  12th,  died 
of  wounds,  May  28th;  Corporal  Weld  Sergeant,  wounded,  May 
12th,  and  died  of  wounds  July  6th,  '64;  Charles  Holmes,  wounded, 
May  9th;  Willis  M.  Porter,  wounded,  May  12th;  Josiah  H.  Porter, 
wounded,  May  12th;  James  R.  Wallace,  wounded,  May  12th. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  21 

Wounded,  not  fatally  56 

Prisoners,  two  of  whom  died  in  captivity  5 

Total  82 

One  of  the  lamentable  incidents  connected  with  the  bat 
tle  of  Spottsylvania  was  the  death  of  General  Sedgwick.  He 
was  killed  on  the  morning  of  May  9th  by  a  Confederate  sharp 
shooter.  He  had  for  a  long  time  commanded  our  Division 
prior  to  the  battle  of  Antietam  where  he  was  wounded.  Gen 
eral  Sedgwick  had  been  offered  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  one  or  more  times  but  his  modesty  prevented  his 
acceptance.  He  was  a  brave,  conscientious  officer,  beloved 
of  his  soldiers,  and  in  his  death  the  country  suffered  a  serious 
loss.  General  H.  G.  Wright  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
Sixth  Corps. 

When  the  army  was  preparing  to  leave  the  vicinity  of 
Spottsylvania,  the  companies  of  the  Regiment  were  commanded 
by  the  following  officers,  viz:  Company  A,  Lieutenant  Tucker; 
Company  B,  Lieutenant  Hinkley;  Company  C,  Captain 
Nash;  Company  D,  Sergeant  Lord;  Company  E,  Sergeant 
Sawyer;  Company  F,  Lieutenant  Small;  Company  G,  Lieu 
tenant  Farr;  Company  H,  Lieutenant  Garland;  Company  I, 
Lieutenant  Carver,  and  Company  K,  Captain  Bunker. 


BATTLE   OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  167 

After  Major  Welch  was  wounded  until  June  i8th,  the 
Regiment  was  in  command  of  Captains  Nash,  Fogler  and 
Bunker.  Captain  Fogler  returned  to  the  Regiment  about 
May  29th,  and  was  in  command  only  three  or  four  days  when 
he  was  wounded  and  left  the  Regiment.  Captain  Starbird 
during  this  time  was  on  the  staff  of  the  General  commanding 
the  First  Brigade  of  the  Fourth  Division.  Captain  Burpee  and 
Lieutenants  White  and  Page  were  also  on  detached  service. 

Whatever  may  be  said  about  the  plan  and  the  results  of  the 
Battle  of  Spottsylvania,  there  was  a  series  of  blunders  on  the 
part  of  the  Union  forces  in  getting  there  from  the  Wilderness 
battlefield. 

It  has  been  the  fashion  for  historians  of  the  Civil  War  to 
write  partisan  history,  to  pervert  facts  for  selfish  ends.  North 
ern  writers  have  attempted  to  belittle  the  ability  of  Confederate 
officers  and  attribute  Confederate  victories  to  accident,  rather 
than  to  skill  and  bravery.  Southern  writers  have  attempted 
to  exaggerate  their  victories  and  minimize  their  defeats.  It 
is  the  victor  who  counts  the  dead  and  writes  history.  To  the 
conquered  there  remains  only  the  painful  regret.  Surely  we 
are  sufficiently  far  removed  from  those  perilous  days  and  are 
ripe  enough  in  experience  to  view  the  events  of  the  war  without 
prejudice  and  to  record  the  facts  of  history  with  due  regard 
to  the  truth.  To  illustrate  what  I  mean,  General  Grant,  in 
his  Memoirs,  states  that  during  the  night  of  May  6th  "Lee's 
army  withdrew  within  their  intrenchments"  and  during  the 
next  day  "showed  no  disposition  to  come  out  of  his  works."1 
On  the  other  hand,  General  Lee  reported  to  his  government 
that  Grant's  army  had  withdrawn  to  their  intrenchments  on 
the  Brock  road.  Both  of  these  officers  stated  one  side  of  the 
truth.  Neither  army  had  any  intrenchments  except  what  had 
been  hastily  constructed  during  the  battle.  Pray,  why  should 
General  Lee  accommodate  General  Grant  by  coming  out  from 
behind  his  rifle  pits  and  allow  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  ex 
ceeding  in  number  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  by  two  to 
one,  to  shoot  them  from  behind  the  Union  intrenchments  on 
the  Brock  road?  General  Grant  had  stated  before  crossing  the 

1  Personal  Memoirs,  Vol.  2,  p.  202. 


l68  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Rapidan  that  his  "objective  point"  would  be  General  Lee's 
army.  He  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  "objective  point." 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  May  yth  was  gladly  accepted  by  both 
armies  as  a  day  of  comparative  rest. 

The  Confederate  Army  was  successful  in  marching  around 
our  left  flank  and  securing  a  strong  position  at  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  very  much  to  our  discomfiture.  General  Grant 
and  other  writers  attribute  this  to  an  "accident."  General 
Grant  states,  in  his  Memoirs,  that  "Lee,  by  accident,  beat 
us  to  Spottsylvania.  ...  He  ordered  Longstreet's 
Corps — now  commanded  by  Anderson — to  move  in  the  morn 
ing  (the  8th)  to  Spottsylvania.  But  the  woods  being  on  fire, 
Anderson  could  not  go  into  bivouac  and  marched  directly  on 
to  his  destination  that  night.  By  this  accident,  Lee  got 
possession  of  Spottsylvania."1  In  1879,  General  Anderson, 
then  an  old  man,  in  a  letter  in  which  he  said  he  had  no  papers 
with  which  to  refresh  his  "treacherous  memory,"  made  state 
ments  which  might  justify  the  quoted  comments  of  General 
Grant.  Fortunately,  however,  we  have  some  data  preserved 
in  the  published  Records  of  the  Union  and  Confederate 
Armies.  General  Anderson's  Corps  was  the  advance  guard  of 
the  Confederate  infantry  from  the  Wilderness  to  Spottsylvania. 
General  Lee's  order  to  Anderson  cannot  be  found.  The  order 
of  General  Lee  to  General  Ewell  has  been  published.2  The 
order  is  signed  by  W.  H.  Taylor,  Lee's  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General,  and  is  dated  May  yth,  1864,  7  p.  m.  It  is  directed  to 
Lieutenant-General  Ewell,  Commanding  Corps,  and  reads  as 
follows:  "General  Lee  directs  me  to  say  that  he  has  instructed 
General  Anderson  to  put  Longstreet's  Corps  in  motion  for 
Spottsylvania  Court  House  as  soon  as  he  can  withdraw  it  from 
its  present  position.3  He  will  proceed  either  by  Todd's  Tavern 
or  Shady  Grove  Church,  as  circumstances  may  determine. 
The  General  desires  you  to  be  prepared  to  follow  with  your 
command,"  etc. 

Unfortunately,  General  Anderson  made  no  report  covering 
this  period.  General  Pendleton,  the  Confederate  Chief  of 

1  Volume  2,  page  211. 

2  Volume  36:  Part  2,  page  968. 

3  The  italics  are  ours. 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  169 

Artillery,  in  his  report  states  that  the  artillery  of  the  First 
Corps  (Anderson's)  received  orders  to  march  to  Spottsylvania 
the  night  of  May  yth.  So  General  Lee  beating  us  to  Spottsyl 
vania  would  appear  to  have  been  the  result  of  design,  rather 
than  an  accident. 

General  Badeau  and  other  writers  from  our  side  of  the 
controversy  have  declared  that  Lee  had  the  shorter  route  to 
Spottsylvania  Court  House.  The  shortest  road  from  the 
Wilderness  battlefield  to  Spottsylvania  Court  House  is  by  the 
Brock  road  south  to  Todd's  Tavern,  and  following  the  same 
road  from  Todd's  southeasterly  to  the  Court  House.  The  Union 
Army  held  the  Brock  road  on  the  night  of  May  yth  as  far  as 
Todd's  Tavern.  General  Humphreys,  one  of  the  most  careful 
writers  of  that  period,  is  honest  enough  to  admit  in  his  history 
of  this  campaign  that  the  left  of  Hancock's  Corps  was  two  or 
three  miles  nearer  the  Court  House  than  the  right  of  Longstreet's 
Corps  by  the  shortest  route  that  the  Corps  could  take. 

The  writer  has  been  in  correspondence  with  General 
E.  M.Law,  now  residing  in  Florida,  who  commanded  a  Brigade, 
and  temporarily  a  division  in  Longstreet's  Corps.  Under 
date  of  June  29th,  1904,  General  Law  wrote  as  follows: 

"We  always  regarded  May  yth  as  a  rest  day.  We  were 
ready  to  continue  the  fight  if  you  should  attack,  but  it  seemed 
to  be  a  waiting  game  to  see  what  the  other  side  would  do. 
General  Grant's  statement  that  General  Lee  showed  no  dis 
position  to  come  out  of  his  works  on  that  day  is  manifestly  an 
unfair  statement,  if  he  means  anything  more  than  that  both 
armies  were  perfectly  willing  to  rest  on  May  yth  behind  their 
hastily  constructed  works.  General  Anderson,  commanding 
Longstreet's  corps,  was  ordered  late  in  the  afternoon  of  May 
yth  by  General  Lee  to  put  his  corps  in  motion  for  the  Spottsyl 
vania  Court  House  as  soon  as  he  could  withdraw  it  from  its 
position.  I  think  we  started  about  ten  p.  m.  The  shortest 
line  was  by  the  Brock  road,  which  your  troops  held.  We  had 
the  longer  route.  We  marched  by  Corbin's  bridge,  on  Shady 
Grove  road.  When  we  reached  the  vicinity  of  Spottsylvania, 
we  found  General  Fitz  Lee  being  forced  back  by  the  Federal 
cavalry,  supported  by  the  infantry.  We  placed  ourselves 


I7O  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

squarely  across  the  track  and  from  that  point  the  lines  around 
Spottsylvania  developed." 

The  writer  regards  this  statement  of  General  Law  as  an 
absolutely  fair  one. 

Now  what  was  the  reason  that  General  Meade's  plans  were 
thwarted?  On  May  yth,  at  half-past  six  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  General  Grant  issued  an  order  to  General  Meade  to  make 
preparations  during  the  day  for  a  night  march  of  the  army.  One 
Corps  was  to  take  a  position  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and 
one  Corps  at  Mr.  Alsop's  house,  about  half  way  between  the 
other  two  Corps.  He  merely  suggested  to  General  Meade 
that  Warren  should  have  the  advance  and  that  Hancock  should 
follow.  General  Burnside  was  to  move  to  Piney  Branch  church 
within  supporting  distance  of  the  other  Corps.  At  three 
o'clock  of  the  same  afternoon  General  Meade  issued  his  orders 
to  General  Sheridan  and  the  different  Corps  commanders,  and 
the  start  was  to  be  made  at  half-past  eight  o'clock  by  General 
Warren  down  the  Brock  road,  and  his  destination  was  the 
Court  House.  General  Sedgwick  was  to  march  at  the  same 
hour  for  his  position  near  Alsop's,  by  way  of  Chancellorsville. 
General  Hancock  was  to  follow  closely  Warren's  Corps  upon 
the  Brock  road,  and  take  a  position  at  Todd's  Tavern.  Gen 
eral  Sheridan  was  to  keep  the  roads  open  and  advise  the  Corps 
commanders  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  He  had  a  copy  of 
General  Meade's  order.  General  Meade  reached  Todd's 
Tavern  in  company  with  General  Grant  at  midnight.  They 
found  Gregg's  Cavalry  Division  there,  and  General  Merritt  was 
a  little  beyond  Todd's  in  the  road  to  Spottsylvania.  Neither 
Gregg  nor  Merritt  had  received  any  orders  from  General  Sheri 
dan.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  May  8th,  General  Meade 
issued  his  orders  for  General  Merritt  to  push  his  command  on 
beyond  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and  for  Gregg  to  move 
to  the  vicinity  of  Corbin's  bridge  and  there  to  watch  in  the 
direction  of  Parker's  store,  over  which  road  the  Confederates 
would  have  to  march  to  reach  the  Court  House.  General 
Sheridan  was  notified  by  some  one  of  these  orders  issued  by 
General  Meade.  When  General  Merritt  started  out  to  execute 
General  Meade's  orders  he  found  himself  opposed  on  the  Brock 


BATTLE    OF   SPOTTTSYLVANIA  17! 

road  by  the  Confederate  cavalry  under  General  Fitzhugh  Lee. 
General  Gregg  in  attempting  to  reach  Corbin's  bridge  also  met 
with  opposition,  for  the  Confederate  infantry  were  hurrying 
along  by  Corbin's  bridge  and  on  the  Shady  Grove  road,  hav 
ing  anticipated  the  movements  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

General  Sheridan  complains  in  his  Memoirs  that  affairs 
would  not  have  turned  out  as  they  did,  had  not  General  Meade 
countermanded  his  orders  to  Gregg  and  Merritt.  According 
to  General  Sheridan's  own  admissions,  his  orders  to  Gregg  and 
Merritt  were  not  issued  until  the  early  morning  of  May  8th,  and 
in  those  orders  he  directed  Gregg  to  move  at  daylight  and  cross 
the  Po  River  at  Corbin's  bridge,  and  General  Merritt  to  move 
down  the  Brock  road  at  daylight.  When  we  remember  that 
at  daylight  on  the  morning  of  May  8th,  Anderson's  Corps  had 
passed  Corbin's  bridge  and  was  well  on  its  way  to  Spottsyl- 
vania,  and  that  Merritt  moving  three  hours  earlier  than  Sheri 
dan  had  ordered  him  to  move,  and  over  the  same  road,  was  un 
able  to  make  much  headway  until  the  head  of  Warren's  Corps 
appeared,  it  does  not  seem  that  General  Sheridan  either  ap 
preciated  the  situation  then  or  was  willing  to  acknowledge 
his  mistake  afterwards.  General  Humphreys  candid  and 
scholarly  review  of  this  controversy  is  commended  to  the 
consideration  of  persons  who  desire  to  get  at  the  facts  of  the 
case.1 

The  crossing  of  the  Po  on  May  9th  by  the  Second  Corps  in 
its  movement  upon  the  left  flank  and  rear  of  the  Confederate 
Army  was  a  brilliant  and  strategic  move.  But  the  wisdom  of 
that  movement  seems  very  doubtful,  considering  the  fact  that 
as  soon  as  the  Second  Corps  seemed  to  be  successful,  two  of  the 
Divisions  were  hastily  withdrawn  across  the  Po  and  carried  to 
the  left  to  make  useless  charges  against  the  Confederate  works, 
leaving  the  brave  Barlow  with  his  Division  south  of  the  Po  to 
meet  the  onslaughts  of  Heth's  Division  of  infantry. 

Lieutenant-General  Grant,  when  he  took  command  of  the 
Armies  of  the  United  States,  and  made  his  headquarters  with 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  did  not  contemplate  attending 
to  the  details  of  the  military  movements.  As  a  rule,  he  in- 

1  The  Virginia  Campaign  of  '64  and  '65,  pp.  67  to  70. 


172  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE   REGIMENT 

dicated  to  General  Meade,  in  general  terms,  what  he  desired, 
and  that  officer  attended  to  the  details  of  the  operation. 
Through  General  Grant's  orders,  the  various  armies  were  in 
tended  to  move  like  clock-work.  General  Sherman  was  to 
advance  from  Chattanooga,  the  same  day  that  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  crossed  the  Rapidan.  Orders  were  also  issued  to 
General  Crook  in  West  Virginia,  General  Sigel  in  the  Valley, 
General  Banks  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  General  Steele  on 
the  Red  river  and  General  Butler,  commanding  on  the  James 
river.  It  was  intended  that  the  movements  of  all  these 
armies  should  be  as  nearly  simultaneous  as  possible.  Men 
everywhere  acknowledge  the  comprehensive  grasp  and  the  ex 
ecutive  ability  displayed  by  General  Grant  from  the  day  he  took 
command  of  the  armies  of  the  Union.  No  one  would  detract 
from  the  world-wide  fame  and  honor  so  justly  his  due. 
Whether  the  foregoing  criticisms  on  the  movements  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  during  May,  1864,  are  just,  the  impartial 
student  and  historian  of  the  future  must  determine. 

On  May  2Oth,  an  event  took  place  which  those  who 
witnessed  it  will  never  forget.  A  young  soldier  of  Company 
K,  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  a  regiment  belonging  to  our 
Brigade,  was  shot  to  death,  pursuant  to  the  sentence  of  a 
general  court-martial.  This  young  man,  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  enlisted  from  Boston  in  this  regiment  and  there 
after  deserted  and  joined  another  regiment.  He  was  appre 
hended,  tried  and  sentenced  by  a  general  court-martial,  but, 
upon  the  urgent  solicitation  of  his  mother,  he  was  pardoned  by 
the  President.  On  the  iyth  of  May  a  circular  order  had  been 
issued  from  Corps  headquarters,  requiring  the  summary  trial 
and  punishment  of  stragglers.  While  this  order  provided 
that  testimony  should  be  taken,  it  further  directed  that  "no 
record  need  be  kept  of  it."  This  soldier  was  charged  with  having 
deserted  "his  post  and  the  colors  of  his  regiment"  at  the  Wilder 
ness  and  also,  May  loth,  on  the  Po  river.  He  was  acquitted 
by  the  court  of  the  charge  of  cowardice  in  the  Wilderness,  but 
found  guilty  of  the  charge  on  the  Po  river.  This  meant  that 
the  soldier's  courage  failed  him  and  that  he  did  not  advance 
with  his  regiment.  General  Meade  approved  the  sentence  of 


BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA  173 

death  and  ordered  that  it  be  carried  into  effect  "in  the  presence 
of  so  much  of  the  Division  to  which  the  prisoner  belongs  as  can 
be  properly  assembled."  The  soldiers  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine 
were  spared  the  pain  of  witnessing  this  soldier's  death.  Colonel 
Charles  H.  Banes,  the  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  our 
Brigade,  thus  describes  the  scene  and  criticizes  the  wisdom  of 
the  proceeding: 

"The  behavior  of  this  prisoner  at  his  death-scene  seemed  to  give 
a  denial  to  the  specifications  against  him.  He  walked  unsupported 
in  front  of  the  firing  party  to  the  place  appointed  for  the  execution, 
and  stood  with  his  back  to  the  grave  and  his  face  to  the  provost  guard 
When  the  order  to  fire  was  given,  he  exclaimed,  Oh,  my  poor  mother!' 
and  fell,  an  example  of  military  severity. 

"Whether  the  effect  of  an  execution  for  an  alleged  physical  or 
moral  weakness  of  this  character  is  beneficial  to  the  service,  or  at  least 
is  necessary  to  the  preservation  of  discipline,  is  a  disputed  point. 
A  soldier  may  act  with  questionable  courage  on  one  occasion  and 
redeem  himself  on  another.  While  there  are  crimes  in  the  army  that 
appear  to  merit  death,  the  failure  to  perform  duties  from  want  of 
courage,  however  detestable  the  offense,  is  one  that  could  be  held  up 
to  scorn  very  effectually  by  the  continued  existence  of  the  culprit  in 
some  position  of  disgrace,  which  would  at  the  same  time  give  the 
offender  an  opportunity  to  recover  his  reputation  on  some  future 
occasion." 


174  THE    NINETEENTH  MAINE    REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  IX. 


ON  THE  NORTH  ANNA. 

The  Second  Corps  started  at  two  o'clock  on  the  evening  of 
May  20th  for  another  movement  by  the  left  flank,  General 
Barlow's  Division  leading,  followed  by  Gibbon's  Division. 
General  Torbert  with  a  small  force  of  cavalry  had  the  advance. 
Most  of  the  cavalry  under  the  command  of  General  Sheridan 
was  absent  from  the  army,  now  on  a  raid  toward  Richmond. 
The  Corps  moved  out  about  three  miles  near  Massaponax 
church,  and  there  waited  an  hour  for  the  cavalry  to  get  off.  The 
men  of  the  Regiment  were  supposed  to  have  each  fifty  rounds 
of  ammunition.  Many  of  the  men  threw  away  all  cartridges  ex 
cept  what  could  be  carried  in  their  cartridge  boxes,  but  they 
did  not  advertise  it.  As  one  of  the  boy's  expressed  it,  "When 
I  fire  all  the  cartridges  my  cartridge  box  will  hold,  I  shall  not  want 
any  more;  or  if  I  should  want  more,  I  can  borrow  them  from  the 
dead  around  me."  We  reached  Guiney's  station  in  the  early 
morning,  marching  by  the  old  Chandler  house,  pointed  out  to 
the  boys  by  the  colored  people  as  the  place  where  "Stonewall" 
Jackson  died  the  year  before.  Everybody  seemed  to  agree  that 
we  were  having  an  easier  time  because  Jackson  was  dead. 
The  line  of  march  for  the  troops  crossed  the  Fredericksburg  and 
Richmond  railway,  and  the  Regiment  hurried  to  Guiney's  and 
thence  south  on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad  to  Bowling  Green 
and  Milford.  Bowling  Green,  reached  before  noon  of  May  2ist, 
was  quite  a  large  village.  The  stores  were  all  closed  and  mostly 
empty,  and  the  houses  were  all  in  a  somewhat  dilapidated 
condition.  The  soldiers  broke  open  some  of  the  stores  and 
obtained  a  supply  of  tobacco,  which  they  needed,  and  some  other 
things  which  they  did  not  need.  The  jail  was  broken  open  be 
fore  our  Regiment  arrived,  and  a  negro  living  there  informed  us 
that  two  prisoners,  "a  colored  gentleman  and  a  white  man," 
had  been  released.  The  station  at  Guiney's  had  been  burned 


ON  THE    NORTH    ANNA  175 

by  the  Union  cavalry  several  days  before,  and  at  Bowling 
Green  and  at  Milford  the  cavalry  had  left  evidences  of  their 
visit.  At  Milford,  a  pretty  little  village,  a  train  of  cars  had 
been  intercepted  and  the  mail  intended  for  General  Lee's  Army 
was  scattered  around  on  the  street.  There  was  some  fighting 
at  Milford  by  General  Torbert,  but  he  had  driven  the  enemy  out 
across  the  Mattapony  river,  and  prevented  them  from  de 
stroying  the  bridge. 

One  of  General  Hancock's  orderlies  was  captured  between 
Guiney's  Station  and  Milford  while  carrying  back  a  dispatch 
to  General  Meade.  Around  Milford  there  was  a  good  country, 
with  comfortable  and  commodious  residences.  The  grain  was 
up  and  looking  well,  and  the  corn  fields  showed  the  corn  just 
coming  out  of  the  ground.  There  were  very  few  white  men 
about. 

The  Second  Corps  crossed  back  over  the  railroad  near 
Milford  station  and  marched  south  a  short  distance,  and  then 
crossed  the  Mattapony  river.  After  following  a  narrow, 
crooked  road  some  distance  south,  we  went  into  position  a 
little  more  than  a  mile  west  of  the  river,  facing  west  toward 
the  Telegraph  road  over  which  Ewell's  Corps  of  Confederates 
was  hastening  south.  This  was  a  very  hard  day's  march  for 
the  Regiment  on  account  of  the  dust  and  heat,  the  distance 
being  between  twenty  and  twenty-five  miles.  The  men  went 
to  work  with  a  will  and  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time 
had  constructed  very  strong  earthworks.  Barlow's  Division 
was  on  the  right  of  our  line,  Tyler's  Division  at  the  left,  Gib 
bon's  in  the  center,  with  Birney  in  reserve.  During  the  night 
there  was  an  alarm  caused  by  some  of  the  new  troops  imagin 
ing  that  the  enemy  was  attacking  them.  Private  Solomon 
O.  Pease  of  Company  E  was  taken  prisoner  on  this  date,  and 
died  while  a  prisoner  of  war. 

On  the  next  day,  May  22nd,  the  Regiment  went  to  the 
left  of  the  Brigade  and  extended  the  breastworks  in  that  direc 
tion,  connecting  on  the  left  with  the  Eighth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery.  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  May  23rd 
the  soldiers  fell  into  line  again  and  left  the  intrenchments  which 
they  had  been  constructing  with  so  much  pains  and  started 


176  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE   REGIMENT 

south,  General  Birney's  Division  leading,  followed  by  the 
Fourth  Division,  and  then  the  Second,  and  the  First  Brigade 
brought  up  the  rear.  The  orders  promulgated  would  have 
carried  the  Second  Corps  to  a  point  where  the  Telegraph  road 
crosses  the  North  Anna  river.  During  the  forenoon  we  crossed 
a  small  stream  bearing  the  ambiguous  name  of  "Pole  Cat 
Creek."  General  Grant  rode  a  part  of  the  day  with  General 
Hancock  at  the  head  of  the  Second  Corps.  A  little  before  noon 
the  column  reached  Chesterfield.  General  Torbert  had  the 
advance  and  was  skirmishing  with  General  Rosser's  Confeder 
ate  cavalry.  There  is  a  creek  running  southeasterly  and 
emptying  into  the  North  Anna  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
point  where  the  Fredericksburg  and  Richmond  railroad  crosses 
that  river.  It  is  a  hilly  country  both  sides  of  the  creek,  and 
when  the  Corps  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  creek  everybody 
thought  it  was  the  river.  General  Hancock  reported  to 
General  Meade  that  his  Corps  had  reached  the  North  Anna  at 
half-past  two  and  his  skirmishers  had  crossed.  We  could 
hear  the  whistles  of  the  locomotives  on  the  Virginia  Central 
railroad,  and  some  of  the  boys  suggested  that  we  might  cap 
ture  the  train  and  start  for  Maine.  The  Second  Division 
crossed  to  the  east  side  of  the  railroad,  and  held  the  extreme 
left  flank  of  the  Union  line.  Some  men  of  the  Regiment  were 
wounded  in  the  afternoon  from  artillery  firing  from  the  south 
side  of  the  North  Anna  river.  The  country  was  open  along 
the  entire  length  of  the  Corps  line  just  north  of  the  river  and 
both  sides  improved  the  opportunity  for  artillery  practice. 
The  enemy  exploded  a  shell  among  the  troops  just  to  the  left 
and  rear  of  the  Nineteenth,  which  did  fearful  execution.  The 
Confederates  held  the  railroad  bridge  during  the  night  and 
burned  their  end  of  it,  the  blaze  lasting  an  hour.  Further  to 
the  right  General  Birney  drove  the  enemy  across  the  river  and 
prevented  their  burning  the  bridge  in  front  of  his  Division. 
This  was  an  ordinary  country  bridge  known  as  "Chesterfield 
bridge,"  but  sometimes  erroneously  called  "Taylor's  bridge/' 
constructed  of  plank,  with  posts  on  each  side,  and  having  a 
top  rail  of  one  board  six  or  eight  inches  wide.  There  is  a  place 
called  "Taylorsville"  a  few  miles  south  of  this  river,  on  the  river 


ON    THE    NORTH    ANNA  177 

road.  The  bridge  was  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long.  Captain  Spaulding  stated  in  his  report  that 
during  the  night  of  May  23rd,  the  Regiment  constructed  earth 
works  near  "Taylor's  bridge."  He  was  not  present  at  this 
time  and  received  his  information  from  others. 

On  the  morning  of  May  24th  a  foot  bridge  was  constructed 
south  of  the  railroad  bridge  by  the  skirmishers  in  front  of 
Gibbon's  Division,  and  the  skirmish  line  was  pushed  to  the 
south  side  of  the  river.  Two  pontoon  bridges  were  soon  laid 
and  Smyth's  Brigade  crossed  about  eight  o'clock,  quickly 
followed  by  the  other  Brigades  of  the  Division.  An  hour  later 
Birney's  Brigades  began  crossing  on  the  Chesterfield  bridge 
above  described.  The  Regiment,  with  the  other  troops,  soon 
built  a  new  line  of  works  a  short  distance  from  the  river. 
Smyth's  Third  Brigade  was  soon  advanced  in  line  of  battle  and 
drove  the  enemy  back  into  the  edge  of  the  woods,  where  he 
was  attacked  with  great  fierceness  by  the  enemy.  The  Nine 
teenth  Maine  was  called  for  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
to  help  out  Smyth's  Brigade,  and  later  the  Fifteenth  and 
Nineteenth  Massachusetts  were  ordered  to  report  to  General 
Smyth.  The  Regiment  hurried  to  the  left  of  the  line  in  the 
direction  of  a  large  house  called  the  Doswell  house.  There  was 
an  old  barn  on  the  left,  considerably  nearer  the  river  than  the 
house,  and  an  old  chimney  stood  some  distance  to  the  right 
of  the  Regiment.  The  Aide  who  conducted  the  Regiment  in  its 
hurried  march  seemed  excited  and  did  not  know  just  where  we 
were  wanted.  The  firing  in  front  was  pretty  heavy  and  the 
shells  were  flying  over  our  heads.  The  batteries  on  our  side 
could  not  do  anything  to  help,  owing  to  the  uneven  surface  of 
the  ground.  The  frightened  Aide  pointed  where  he  thought 
the  Regiment  should  make  its  sacrifice,  and  disappeared  from 
sight.  The  Nineteenth  charged  up  the  steep  hill  and  came  out 
on  a  plain  in  front  of  the  Confederate  works  in  the  edge  of  some 
woods.  There  were  no  troops  for  some  distance  to  the  right 
of  the  Regiment,  and  none  could  be  seen  to  the  left.  The 
enemy's  works  were  not  more  than  twenty  rods  away,  and  as 
soon  as  the  Regiment  appeared  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  the  men 
faced  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  in  the  face  of  which  n«  line  *f 


iy  THE   NINETEENTH  MAINE    REGIMENT 

battle  could  live  long.  Here  the  Regiment  lost  heavily  and 
fell  back  over  the  brow  of  the  hill.  This  was  just  after  sunset. 
Lieutenant  O.  R.  Small  and  the  writer  crept  up  to  the  top  of 
the  hill  and  endeavored  to  get  some  of  the  helpless  wounded 
to  the  rear  and  out  of  danger,  but  the  enemy  kept  up  such  a 
continuous  fire  that  nothing  was  accomplished.  General 
Smyth  in  his  report  of  this  battle  acknowledged  the  assistance 
rendered  by  the  Nineteenth  Maine.  The  night  before  the 
Second  Corps  crossed  the  North  Anna,  Warren,  who  had  reach 
ed  the  river  shortly  before  Hancock,  crossed  without  serious 
opposition,  about  three  miles  above  the  railroad  bridge  at 
Jericho  Mills.  The  Sixth  Corps  crossed  the  river,  at  the  same 
place  that  Warren  crossed,  to  reinforce  the  Fifth  Corps.  Burn- 
side's  Ninth  Corps,  which  on  this  day,  May  24th,  was  formally 
incorporated  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  held  the  north  bank 
of  the  river  between  the  two  crossing  places.  Stevenson's 
Division  of  this  Corps  was  afterwards  thrown  across  the  river 
to  reinforce  the  Union  right  wing,  while  Potter's  Division  was 
sent  to  Hancock. 

There  was  a  heavy  thunder  shower  in  the  afternoon,  fol 
lowed  by  another  the  next  day.  There  was  also  a  rain  storm  in 
the  forenoon  of  May  26th.  These  were  the  first  rains  we  had 
had  since  May  1 3th,  when  in  front  of  the  bloody  angle  at  Spott- 
sylvania. 

The  Regiment  fell  back  and  constructed  rifle  pits  during 
the  night,  and  the  next  forenoon,  May  25th,  rejoined  the 
Brigade  further  to  the  right  of  the  Union  line  and  built  another 
line  of  works.  Sergeant-Major  William  A.  Wood  was  taken 
prisoner  May  24th,  while  inspecting  the  picket  line  in  the  woods. 
He  was  a  splendid  young  fellow  from  Bowdoinham,  not  yet 
twenty-one  years  old,  and  was  liked  by  everybody  in  the  Regi 
ment.  He  spent  many  months  in  Andersonville  prison  and 
died  recently  at  his  old  home  from  the  result  of  an  accident. 

Strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  General  Grant  to  unite 
south  of  the  river  the  widely  separated  flanks  of  his  army,  but 
without  avail.  Lee's  Army  held  the  south  bank  of  the  North 
Anna  for  nearly  a  mile,  with  both  of  his  flanks  thrown  back  and 
resting  on  natural  obstructions.  His  right  flank  ran  back 


ON    THE   NORTH    ANNA  179 

nearly  due  south,  covering  Hanover  junction,  and  rested  on  an 
impenetrable  marsh  known  as  'Sexton's  Swamp,"  while  his 
left  flank  running  southwesterly  rested  on  Little  river.  After 
the  successful  passage  of  the  river  by  the  Union  Army,  General 
Lee  thrust  the  center  of  his  army  between  the  two  wings  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  putting  General  Grant  at  a  great 
disadvantage,  and  compelling  him,  when  he  desired  to  reinforce 
either  wing,  to  make  a  double  passage  of  the  river.  General 
Grant  in  his  report  simply  states  that,  "finding  the  enemy's 
position  on  the  North  Anna  stronger  than  either  of  his  previous 
ones,  I  withdrew  on  the  night  of  the  26th  to  the  north  bank  of 
the  North  Anna." 

One  would  naturally  have  supposed  that  General  Lee 
would  have  improved  this  opportunity  to  strike  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  a  stunning  blow.  It  seems  to  the  writer  now,  after 
the  lapse  of  many  years,  that  General  Lee  never  had  a  better 
chance  to  inflict  terrible  punishment  on  his  antagonist  than  on 
the  North  Anna.  We  have  the  authority  of  General  Fitzhugh 
Lee,  in  his  excellent  biography  of  General  R.  E.  Lee,  that  it 
was  the  intention  of  the  Confederate  leader  to  assume  the 
offensive  and  attack  the  Union  Army  here,  but  a  severe  illness, 
confining  him  to  his  tent,  alone  prevented  the  carrying  out  of 
his  purpose. 

The  army  recrossed  the  river  without  being  molested,  on  the 
evening  of  May  26th,  and  the  Sixth  Corps  led  the  way  for  another 
flanking  movement  to  the  left  and  down  the  Pamunkey  river. 

It  may  assist  the  reader  somewhat  to  state  that  the 
Mat,  Ta,  Po,  and  Ny  rivers  unite  to  form  the  Mattapony 
river.  The  Pamunkey  is  formed  by  the  confluence  of  the 
North  and  South  Anna;  and  the  Pamunkey  in  turn  uniting 
with  the  Mattapony  forms  the  York,  which  empties  into 
Chesapeake  Bay. 

The  loss  in  the  Second  Corps  on  the  North  Anna  in  killed, 
wounded  and  missing  was  about  six  hundred.  How  the 
Regiment  fared  in  this  engagement  may  be  learned  from  the 
following  statement : 


l8o  THE  NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

CASUALTIES  ON  THE  NORTH  ANNA. 

May  23rd-26th  1864. 

Sergeant- Major  William  A.  Wood,  prisoner,  May  24th;  First 
Lieutenant  Loring  Farr,  Company  G,  wounded,  May-23rd. 

Company  A. 
Levander  Sawtelle,  wounded,  May  24th. 

Company  B. 
Silas  Dean,  killed,  May  24th;  Moses  Larrabee,  prisoner,  May  24th. 

Company  C. 
Oliver  B.  Bessey,  wounded,  May  24th. 

Company  D. 

Corporal  Prescott  D.  Hinds,  killed,  May  24th;  Augustus  Coffin, 
killed,  May  24th;  Sergeant  Charles  F.  Cooper,  wounded,  May  24th; 
FordS.  Hawkins,  wounded,  May  24th;  Benjamin  B.  Siegars,  wounded, 
May  24th. 

Company  E. 

Benjamin  F.  Trefethen,  killed,  May  24th;  Corporal  James  H. 
Shaw,  wounded,  May  24th,  died  in  general  hospital,  June  8th,  1864; 
John  Hartshorn,  wounded,  May  24th. 

Company  F. 

Andrew  J.  Berry,  killed,  May  24th;  Edward  P.  White,  wounded, 
May  24th. 

Company  H. 

Joseph  W.  Gridley,  wounded,  May  24th;  Charles  B.  Whitney, 
mortally  wounded,  May  24th  (Muster  Out  Roll  reports  that  he  died  in 
Vermont,  June  17th,  of  wounds  received  at  Taylor's  bridge,  June 
12th,  1864). 

Company  K. 

Elijah  C.  Butler,  killed,  May  24th;  Newell  B.  Tilton,  killed, 
May  24th;  Samuel  Mereen,  wounded,  May  24th. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  9 

Wounded,  not  fatally        -  10 

Prisoners      -                                       -  -         -                2 

Total  -         -      ~~-         21 

At  about  the  time  of  the  battle  on  the  North  Anna,  Colonel 
Cunningham  returned  to  the  Regiment  for  a  short  time.  After 
the  battle  at  that  place,  he  inquired  particularly  for  Corporal 
Prescott  D.  Hinds  of  Company  D.  When  he  was  informed  that 
Corporal  Hinds  had  just  been  killed  in  the  engagement,  he 
appeared  very  much  affected  and  said :  "I  am  very  sorry;  I 
knew  his  people  well.  His  father  was  a  leading  citizen  in  our 
locality."  This  incident  is  furnished  by  George  S.  Perry 
of  Company  F. 


ON   THE   NORTH    ANNA  l8l 

Dr.  J.  Q.  A.  Hawes,  Surgeon  of  the  Nineteenth,  in  a  public 
letter  from  Fredericksburg,  under  date  of  May  25th,  1864, 
makes  the  following  statement  as  to  our  losses: 

"In  my  own  regiment,  the  Nineteenth,  our  number  is  now  reduced 
to  near  one  hundred  muskets.  In  the  terrible  fight  on  the  sixth  instant 
the  Nineteenth  was  badly  cut  up.  Colonel  Connor  was  badly  wounded, 
in  the  left  thigh.  He  is  now  at  Washington,  and  is  quite  as  comfortable 
as  can  be  expected.  Major  Welch,  from  Augusta,  received  a  flesh  wound 
in  the  thigh.  I  hear  that  one-half  of  our  Captains  are  wounded,  and 
a  larger  portion  of  the  Lieutenants.  Of  the  enlisted  men  I  expect  to 
find  merely  a  small  squad  as  a  representative,  a  few  weeks  since,  of  a 
noble  Regiment.  Surely  this  is  sad  to  us  here,  but  sadder  to  the  dear 
friends  at  home.  Our  soldiers  have  fought  bravely,  manfully,  and  to 
the  last,  and  those  who  are  now  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  their  friends, 
have  no  remorse  of  their  conscience, that  the  defenders  of  their  country 
from  the  Pine  Tree  State  did  not  do  their  duty  on  the  field  of  battle: 


l82  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  X. 


BATTLES  OF  TOTOPOTOMOY  AND  COLD  HARBOR. 

f  -  The  Regiment  started  back  across  the  North  Anna,  with  the 
Corps,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  May  26th,  and  lay  down  to 
rest  near  the  railroad  some  distance  north  of  the  river,  at  half- 
past  one  on  the  morning  of  May  27th.  A  detail  had  been  made 
from  the  Corps,  which  on  the  night  of  the  26th  and  the  morning 
of  the  27th  had  been  destroying  the  railroad  back  toward  Mil- 
ford.  Fires  were  built  of  the  cross-ties  and  other  wood,  and  the 
rails  were  pried  up;  the  middle  of  the  rails  were  placed  over  the 
fires  until  they  were  red  hot,  when  they  were  twisted  around 
trees  and  stumps.  On  the  night  of  the  26th,  a  demonstration 
having  been  made  by  some  of  our  cavalry  above  our  extreme 
right  to  deceive  the  enemy,  the  larger  portion  of  the  cavalry, 
closely  followed  by  the  Sixth  Corps,  started  for  Hanovertown 
on  the  Pamunkey.  General  Sheridan  had  returned  from  his 
cavalry  raid  on  the  24th.  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the 
27th,  the  Second  Corps  was  off,  and  at  ten  o'clock  that  night 
the  Regiment  lay  down  on  the  ground  about  three  miles  from 
the  Pamunkey,  and  nearly  thirty  miles  from  the  starting  point. 
Those  who  participated  in  that  march,  after  the  lapse  of  more 
than  forty  years,  will  recall  that  long,  hot,  dusty  and  tiresome 
march.  It  was  through  a  region  of  country  that  had  not  been 
devastated  by  the  tread  of  hostile  armies,  except  occasional 
cavalry  raids.  The  visible  supply  of  fowls  and  pigs  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Pamunkey  was  greatly  reduced  during  that  day, 
and  at  many  a  farm  house  reluctant  hands  passed  out  from 
their  scanty  supply,  food  to  the  hungry  soldiers.  How  good 
that  food  tasted!  When  the  men  inquired  how  far  it  was  to 
Richmond,  the  spiteful  reply  would  be,  given  by  the  women,  in 
their  peculiar  Southern  dialect,  "It  is  so  far  you  will  never  get 
there!"  On  this  march  the  Second  Corps  followed  the  route  of 
the  Sixth  and  kept  near  the  North  Anna  and  later  the  Pamun- 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD    HARBOR  183 

key.  The  Fifth  and  Ninth  Corps  kept  on  roads  further  to  the 
east  and  had  a  longer  distance  to  march.  The  resting  place  of 
the  Regiment  for  the  night  of  the  2yth  of  May  was  opposite  a 
point  on  the  Pamunkey,  some  four  miles  above  Hanovertown. 
We  were  up  and  off  at  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  28th, 
and  with  the  Corps  crossed  the  Pamunkey  river  on  a  pontoon 
bridge  at  Huntley's,  opposite  the  Nelson  farm,  a  little  before 
noon.  The  Second  Corps  was  preceded  by  Rickett's  Division  of 
the  Sixth,  at  the  crossing.  The  Regiment  marched  nearly  two 
miles  west  of  the  river  and  took  its  position  with  the  Corps  on 
elevated  ground  and  began  building  intrenchments.  The 
position  of  the  Corps  was  between  the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  right 
and  the  Fifth  on  the  left,  and  the  right  of  our  Corps  was  near  a 
farm  house  said  to  belong  to  a  man  named  Pollard. 

The  point  where  the  Regiment  crossed  the  Pamunkey  is 
about  eighteen  miles  from  Richmond.  There  is  a  tolerably 
direct  road  from  Hanovertown  to  Richmond,  passing  through 
Hawes  Shop,  Hundley's  Corner,  Bethesda  Church,  and  Mechan- 
icsville,  crossing  the  Chickahominy  on  the  Mechanicsville 
bridge.  This  road  is  called  the  Old  Church  road.  The  Toto- 
potomoy  and  Chickahominy  are  lined  upon  both  sides  with  a 
broad  expanse  of  low,  swampy  lands  and  generally  covered  with 
timber  and  almost  impassable  thickets.  In  some  places  these 
two  rivers  are  not  more  than  six  or  seven  miles  apart.  The 
Totopotomoy  empties  into  the  Pamunkey  a  couple  of  miles  be 
low  Hanovertown,  and  the  Chickahominy  runs  some  four  miles 
east  of  Richmond,  and  unites  with  the  James  some  distance 
below  Charles  City  Court  House.  The  army  had  now  come  into 
a  region  of  country  where  it  was  most  difficult  to  manoeuvre  on 
account  of  the  low,  wet  ground  bordering  on  the  rivers  and 
creeks  and  their  many  tributaries  running  in  all  directions. 

The  Nineteenth  remained  practically  in  the  position  oc 
cupied  during  the  night  of  the  28th  until  about  noon  of  Sunday, 
the  29th  of  May,  which  was  a  beautiful  day.  Then  we  advanced 
a  short  distance  and  built  another  line  of  works.  Evidences  of 
a  cavalry  fight  at  Hawes  Shop  were  seen  in  widely  scattered 
dead  horses  and  slight  earthworks.  At  noon  the  First  Division 
under  General  Barlow  was  taken  out  of  the  Second  Corps  line, 


184  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

and  advanced  to  the  west  in  the  direction  of  the  Totopotomoy. 
On  the  morning  of  May  3oth  the  Regiment,  with  the  Division, 
advanced  about  five  miles  in  a  southwesterly  direction  and 
built  another  strong  line  of  works.  The  enemy's*sharpshooters 
were  very  active  and  the  men  of  the  Regiment  were  kept  pretty 
near  the  ground.  Barlow's  Division  joined  us  on  the  right. 
Gibbon's  Division  was  all  on  the  left  of  the  Old  Church  road, 
while  Barlow's  Division  was  on  the  right.  There  was  a  signal 
station  all  day  on  the  Skelton  house,  not  far  from  the  right  of 
the  Regiment.  In  the  afternoon  the  house  was  riddled  with 
shot  and  shell  by  the  enemy,  but  the  signal  station  flag  was  kept 
in  motion  all  the  afternoon.  The  artillery  firing  was  very 
brisk.  Mortars  were  here  first  used  from  our  side.  The  music  of 
the  Witworth  gun  was  often  wafted  to  us  by  the  enemy.  We 
received  a  mail  at  night  and  drew  three  days'  rations,  making 
five  days'  supply  the  men  were  supposed  to  have.  Two  men 
in  the  Regiment  were  wounded  this  day,  and  a  large  detail 
from  the  Regiment  was  sent  on  the  skirmish  line  for  the  night. 
The  Fifth  Corps  on  the  left  had  crossed  the  Totopotomoy  and 
was  pressing  on  towards  Bethesda  Church.  Burnside  was  in 
reserve.  At  half-past  six  in  the  afternoon  of  the  3oth,  heavy 
firing,  especially  of  the  infantry,  was  heard  on  our  left  along 
Warren's  lines,  and  at  seven  o'clock  p.  m.  orders  came  to 
Hancock  to  attack  in  order  to  relieve  the  pressure  in  Warren's 
front.  The  Totopotomoy  in  this  locality  was  three  or  four  feet 
deep  and  in  places  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  wide. 
When  the  order  came  to  attack,  the  skirmish  line  was  advanced 
to  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek.  The  top  of 
the  hill  was  held  by  the  enemy  occupying  rifle  pits.  Before 
anything  more  was  done  orders  were  received  not  to  advance 
any  further.  Barlow's  Division  was  heard,  heavily  engaged  on 
the  right.  Two  of  our  men  were  reported  wounded  during  the 
day.  The  Regiment  had  been  under  constant  fire  all  day  from 
the  sharpshooters.  A  welcome  mail  was  distributed  in  the 
Regiment  about  dark.  Early  in  the  evening  white  rockets 
were  thrown  up  by  the  enemy  as  signals,  the  import  of  which  the 
men  wished  they  understood.  The  entire  Regiment  spent  all 
night  on  the  skirmish  line  across  Totopotomoy  creek.  It  had 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD    HARBOR  185 

been  a  hot,  wearisome  day,  and  there  was  some  grumbling  at 
the  prospect  for  the  night;  but  some  one  had  to  do  the  work, 
and  the  Nineteenth  had  been  exempt  from  skirmish  duty  during 
the  day.  A  comparatively  quiet  night  was  passed  by  the  Regi 
ment  although  the  early  hours  were  spent  in  cautious  fear. 

"Intoxicated  by  the  drugs  of  sleep,  my  eyes  are  heavy  and  yet  strict 

vigils  keep ; 
Imagination  fills  my  drowsy  brain  with   scenes  of  battle,   fields   of 

maimed  and  slain; 
The   stumps   and   bushes   into  phantoms  grow,    and  shadows   shape 

themselves  into  the  foe." 

The  Eighth  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  and  the  Corcoran 
Legion  during  the  last  days  of  May  were  united  to  form  a  new 
Brigade,  the  Fourth  in  our  Division,  commanded  by  General 
Tyler. 

On  the  morning  of  May  3  ist,  the  First  and  Second  Brigades 
of  the  Division,  preceded  by  a  strong  skirmish  line,  advanced 
to  the  top  of  the  hill  on  the  southwesterly  side  of  the  Totopoto- 
moy,  and  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  charged,  but  the 
enemy's  artillery  opened  with  such  effect  that  the  line  fell  back 
a  short  distance  and  threw  up  earthworks.  Colonel  McKeen 
was  in  command  of  our  Brigade.  The  rifle  pits  of  the  enemy's 
skirmish  line  were  captured  and  held.  Owen's  Brigade,  down 
near  the  left  of  our  Regiment,  was  just  west  of  the  road  leading 
from  the  position  held  by  the  Union  troops  to  Cold  Harbor,  and 
was  near  a  farm  house,  owned  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jones, 
and  some  distance  to  the  left  from  the  Skelton  house,  where  the 
signal  station  had  been  established.  The  Cold  Harbor  road 
crossed  the  creek  a  little  south  of  the  Jones  house.  The  Third 
Brigade  of  our  Division,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Smyth, 
was  supporting  our  Brigade,  and  about  two  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  crossed  the  Totopotomoy  and  massed  in  our  rear.  There 
was  a  swamp  to  the  left  and  in  front  of  the  Division,  and  the 
enemy  had  a  battery  of  five  or  six  guns  in  front  and  a  little  to 
the  right  of  our  Division,  which  swept  the  ground  between  the 
lines  with  shell  and  canister.  Repeated  orders  were  sent  to 
the  Regiment  to  press  forward  the  skirmishers  and  line  of  battle. 

We  were  under  constant  fire  all  of  June  ist.  The  day  was 
very  hot,  as  had  been  the  day  before,  and  it  was  a  long  time 


l86  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

between  sunrise  and  sunset.  Frequent  orders  came  to  get 
ready  to  charge.  The  men  were  short  of  rations  and  cross. 
Nearly  twenty  wagons  belonging  to  the  Corps  had  been  captured 
near  the  White  House,  the  new  base  of  supplies.  About  five 
"o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  charge  was  made  on  the  enemy,  but 
as  usual  it  was  unsuccessful.  When  dark  our  Brigade  was 
relieved  by  the  regiments  of  Smyth's  Third  Brigade,  and 
marched  to  the  rear,  recrossing  the  creek,  and  after  some  halts 
being  made,  marched  back  by  the  Jones  house  and  nearly  back 
to  Hawes  Shop,  and  then  struck  south  on  our  way  to  Cold 
Harbor.  All  night  long  in  the  heat  and  dust  the  Regiment 
plodded  on,  frequently  halting,  and  then  turning  to  the  right 
and  again  to  the  left,  without  seeming  to  make  much  progress. 
A  Captain  Paine,  sent  to  us  by  Meade,  was  to  conduct  the  Corps 
from  the  vicinity  of  Hawes  Shop  to  Cold  Harbor.  He  was 
not  a  good  guide,  because  he  did  not  know  the  way;  hence 
the  frequent  halts  and  the  unsatisfactory  progress.  The 
Second  Division,  leading  the  way,  was  followed  by  the  First  and 
then  the  Third.  The  sick  and  wounded  were  all  sent  to  the 
White  House  during  the  afternoon  of  June  ist. 

There  are  numerous  little  incidents  connected  with  every 
battle,  the  relation  of  which  goes  to  complete  its  history,  just  as 
the  faint  tint,  or  light  touch  here  and  there,  form  the  finishing 
touches  to  the  artist's  picture  on  the  canvas.  On  the  after 
noon  of  June  ist,  and  just  before  Captain  Fogler,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  Regiment,  was  wounded,  a  forward  movement 
was  ordered.  Our  Regiment  was  joined  on  the  left  by  the 
Fifty-ninth  New  York.  The  ground  was  uneven  and  partly 
covered  with  trees,  and  as  the  troops  advanced  they  ascended 
quite  a  hill.  The  left  of  the  Nineteenth  and  the  right  of  the 
Fifty-ninth  were  intermingled,  and  a  commissioned  officer  of 
the  New  York  Regiment,  evidently  thinking  one  of  the  recruits 
of  the  Nineteenth  was  lagging  too  far  behind,  struck  him  with 
the  side  of  his  sword.  Captain  Fogler  saw  the  act.  His  face 
was  blazing  with  indignation  as  he  made  toward  the  New  York 
Irishman  wearing  the  shoulder  straps.  I  had  never  seen 
him  mad  before.  He  informed  the  Fifty-ninth  officer,  if 
he  ever  undertook  to  meddle  with  another  man  of  the  Nine- 


William  H.  Fogler,  Captain  Co.  D. 


TOTOPOTOMOY   AND   COLD   HARBOR  187 

teenth  Maine,  while  he  was  in  command,  he  would  run  him 
through.  The  language  he  used  was  quite  emphatic,  and  if 
Captain  Fogler  were  not  now  dead,  and  were  it  not  that  our 
memories  are  so  treacherous,  I  should  say  that  he  swore. 
The  officer  sneaked  off  toward  the  left  as  though  he  believed 
our  gallant  commander  was  a  man  of  his  word.  In  the  judg 
ment  of  the  writer  the  old  Nineteenth  never  had  a  better 
officer  than  Captain  Fogler.  Long  after  the  war,  he  served 
the  State  of  Maine  as  one  of  the  judges  of  its  highest  court 
until  his  death,  and  there,  as  in  the  army,  he  was  honored  and 
beloved. 

CASUALTIES,  BATTLE  OF  TOTOPOTOMOY 
May  28th  to  June  1st,  1864 

Captain  William  H.  Fogler,  Company  D,  commanding  regiment, 
wounded  June  1st. 

Company  A. 
William  Cotter,  wounded,  June  1st. 

Company  B. 

Sergeant  Benjamin  S.  Crooker,  wounded,  May  31st;  William  H. 
Churchill,  wounded,  May  31st;  George  W.  Dwinell,  wounded,  May  31st; 
Charles  H.  Prescott,  wounded,  and  died  May  17th,  1865. 

Company  E. 
Nathan  S.  Winslow,  Prisoner,  died  Anderson ville,  Aug.  13,  '64. 

Company  F. 
Rufus  S.  Maxwell,  wounded,  June  1st. 

Company  K. 
Peter  Lee,  killed,  June  1st;  Leroy  Farrar,  wounded,  June  1st. 

In  the  intense  heat,  and  through  suffocating  clouds  of  dust, 
the  trying  march  from  Totopotomoy  to  Cold  Harbor  took  all 
night,  and  the  Regiment  stacked  arms  at  the  latter  place  be 
tween  six  and  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  2nd. 

The  rear  of  the  Corps  did  not  arrive  until  in  the  afternoon. 
Our  Regiment,  being  near  the  head  of  the  column,  had  the  most 
of  the  day  for  rest.  We  occupied,  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
day,  breastworks  which  had  been  constructed  a  day  or  two  be 
fore  by  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  Sixth  Corps  had  been  drawn  to 
the  right  in  line  of  battle  and  its  left  connected  with  the  Second 
Corps.  Orders  had  been  issued  for  an  attack  of  the  enemy's 
works  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  June  2nd.  Owing  to 
the  delay  in  getting  into  position,  and  the  condition  of  the  troops 
that  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  Second  Corps,  on  the  march 


1 88  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

from  Totopotomoy,  the  attack  was  postponed  until  4:30  in  the 
morning  of  June  3rd.  The  troops  of  the  army  were  arranged  for 
the  coming  battle  in  the  following  order:  Wilson's  Cavalry 
held  the  ground  from  near  the  Pamunkey  river  to  the  vicinity 
of  Bethesda  Church;  General  Warren,  with  the  Fifth  Corps, 
stretched  for  a  distance  of  some  three  miles  from  the  left  of 
Wilson's  cavalry  to  the  neighborhood  of  Beulah  Church,  his 
line  being  protected  for  part  of  the  distance  by  swamps;  Burn- 
side's  Ninth  Corps  formed  the  rear,  as  a  support  to  the  right 
of  Warren's  line;  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  under  General  W.  F. 
Smith,  connected  with  Warren's  left,  and  then  came  the  Sixth 
Corps,  under  General  Wright.  General  Hancock,  with  the  Second 
Corps,  held  the  extreme  left,  and  his  line  extended  nearly  to  the 
Chickahominy  river.  The  space  between  Hancock's  left  and 
the  river  was  occupied  by  cavalry  pickets.  Our  Division,  under 
General  Gibbon,  held  the  right  of  the  Second  Corps,  while 
General  Barlow's  First  Division  held  the  left,  General  Birney's 
Division  being  held  in  reserve.  There  was  no  massing  of  troops 
to  attack  a  particular  point  in  the  breastworks.  There  were  no 
reserves  anywhere,  except  Birney  on  the  left  and  Burnside  on 
the  right.  Birney  was  never  ordered  forward  to  the  support  of 
the  other  two  struggling  Divisions  of  the  Corps.  A  little  after 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  was  sent  to  the  right,  to  help  out 
General  Warren.  Direct  assaults  on  well  intrenched  lines 
rarely  proved  successful  during  the  war.  In  no  instance  during 
the  campaign  had  the  Union  troops  been  successful  in  assaulting 
breastworks,  except  the  partial  success  of  General  Upton's 
charge  on  May  loth,  and  the  brilliant  achievement  of  the 
Second  Corps  in  capturing  the  salient  at  Spottsylvania,  on 
May  1 2th.  In  both  of  these  instances  there  was  a  heavy 
massing  of  troops  and  the  assault  was  against  one  point  only 
of  the  enemy's  intrenchments. 

Now  the  order  was  to  charge  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
lines,  some  seven  miles  or  more  in  length,  hit  or  miss. 

As  soon  as  it  began  to  grow  light  on  the  morning  of  June 
3rd,  the  order  to  charge  was  given.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
order  was  not  received  with  much  hilarity.  It  was  the  same 
order  the  troops  had  heard  and  obeyed  almost  daily  for  twenty- 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD   HARBOR  189 

eight  days.  Except  in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  it  had 
always  been  a  charge  against  strong  intrenchments.  If  the 
Second  Corps  ever  felt  and  showed  its  unwillingness  to  charge 
intrenchments,  it  was  at  Cold  Harbor.  There  was  some  hooting 
at  the  Brigade  commanders  by  the  soldiers,  but  when  it  was 
ascertained  that  these  officers  themselves  were  going  to  lead 
the  men,  there  was  no  further  hesitation.  The  ground  had  not 
been  looked  over.  There  was  no  effort  made  to  examine  the 
enemy's  intrenchments  to  find  a  weak  place  in  them,  if  there 
were  any. 

On  this  morning  the  four  Brigades  of  our  Division  were 
commanded  by  Generals  McKeen,  Owen,  Smyth  and  Tyler, 
respectively.  Tyler  and  Smyth  took  the  front  line,  Tyler  on 
the  right  and  Smyth  on  the  left,  in  line  of  battle.  They  were 
supported  by  the  other  two  Brigades  following  in  close  columns 
of  regiments.  McKeen's  Brigade,  in  which  was  the  old  Nine 
teenth,  followed  Tyler,  and  Owen  followed  in  support  of  Smyth. 
The  two  supporting  brigades  were  ordered  to  push  rapidly  for 
ward  and  over  the  front  line  in  column  and  effect  a  lodgment 
in  the  enemy's  works,  and  not  to  deploy  until  they  got  over.  It 
was  about  half-past  four  in  the  morning  when  the  Second 
Division  of  our  Corps  started  across  the  open  field  for  the  Con 
federate  intrenchments,  in  the  above  order.  The  First  Divis 
ion,  under  General  Barlow,  was  upon  our  left  and  constituted 
the  left  of  the  army.  The  Nineteenth,  having  Tyler's  Brigade 
in  line  of  battle  in  front,  did  not  suffer  as  much  as  the  front  line. 
The  country  across  which  the  troops  charged  was  rolling,  with 
an  impassable  swamp  upon  our  left,  and  as  we  pushed  toward 
the  enemy's  line  of  works,  the  red  clay  soil  of  the  enemy's 
intrenchments  soon  showed  in  the  distance.  After  their  skir 
mishers  had  retreated  from  our  front,  their  artillery  swept  the 
field.  Still  the  men  pressed  on,  and,  struggling  against  the 
heavy  fire  of  the  enemy,  pushed  gallantly  up  to  within  forty 
or  fifty  yards  of  the  Confederate  works.  We  could  see  no  men 
to  shoot  at.  They  were  all  protected  by  their  earthworks. 
The  Regiment  pushed  through  General  Tyler's  decimated  line 
of  battle  and  deployed  near  the  right  of  his  line.  Taking  advan 
tage  of  a  little  rise  in  the  land  in  our  front,  the  Regiment  fell 


190          THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

upon  the  ground,  and,  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  with 
bayonets,  tin  plates  or  whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands 
upon,  threw  up  a  slight  earthwork  in  front,  sufficient  to  pro 
tect  them  from  the  enemy's  bullets.  Before  we  passed  through 
General  Tyler's  line  of  battle,  it  had  been  forced  back  a  con 
siderable  distance,  and  the  ground  in  our  front  presented  a 
most  pitiful  sight,  with  its  dead  and  wounded.  The  battle 
proper  did  not  last  thirty  minutes.  When  our  (McKeen's)  Bri 
gade  reached  the  front  it  was  pretty  well  to  the  right  of  Tyler's 
Brigade.  Many  of  the  killed  and  wounded  of  the  Eighth  New 
York  Heavy  Artillery  were  in  our  immediate  front,  when  the 
Regiment  halted.  None  of  Tyler's  men  penetrated  the  enemy's 
works  except  a  portion  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fourth 
New  York,  under  command  of  Colonel  J.  P.  McMahon,  which 
Regiment  kept  to  the  left  of  the  swamp,  to  which  reference  has 
been  made,  being  thus  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  Brigade. 
Colonel  McMahon  gained  the  breastworks,  with  the  colors  of 
the  Regiment  in  his  hands,  and  fell  dead  in  the  midst  of  the 
enemy.  General  Barlow  captured  some  three  hundred  pris 
oners  and  three  cannon  on  our  left,  but  was  unable  to  hold  his 
advanced  position  by  reason  of  the  enfilading  fire  of  the  enemy. 

Colonel  Me  Keen,  in  command  of  our  Brigade,  was  killed 
before  the  Nineteenth  reached  its  advanced  position.  Colonel 
Frank  A.  Haskell,  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin,  succeeded  to 
the  command  and  in  a  few  minutes  fell,  mortally  wounded. 
A  Major  from  one  of  the  other  regiments  then  assumed  com 
mand  of  the  Brigade  temporarily. 

Between  eight  and  nine  in  the  morning,  General  Hancock 
was  directed  by  General  Meade  to  make  another  attack,  in 
connection  with  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  unless  he  considered  it 
"hopeless."  Fortunately  for  our  Regiment,  now  in  the  front 
line  and  near  the  strong  fortifications  of  the  enemy,  Hancock, 
knowing  another  attack  would  be  fruitless,  declined  to  order  it. 
Between  one  and  two  in  the  afternoon  orders  were  given  by 
General  Meade  to  suspend  further  offensive  operations,  to  in 
trench  and  advance  against  the  enemy  by  regular  approaches. 
The  Regiment  did  not  receive  nor  require  the  order  to  suspend 
"offensive  operations,"  for  all  our  efforts  had  been  strictly 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD   HARBOR  19! 

and  actively  defensive  for  several  hours.  We  were  fortunate 
in  finding  a  few  fence  rails  by  following  down  a  deep  ravine  to 
our  left.  These  were  serviceable  in  constructing  rifle-pits. 
The  Confederates  made  an  attack  and  attempted  to  drive  us 
back  a  little  after  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but  were  re 
pulsed.  There  was  artillery  firing  all  day,  including  coehorns. 
Whenever  there  was  a  chance  to  fire  at  anything,  it  was  im 
proved  by  the  infantry  and  the  sharpshooters.  In  the  evening 
spades  and  other  intrenching  tools  were  brought  up,  and  the 
men  worked  all  night.  During  the  darkness  our  position  was 
advanced  and  a  new  line  of  intrenchments  was  constructed. 
After  dark  some  soldiers  of  the  Eighth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery  crept  back  from  the  front  where  they  had  lain  all  day, 
in  a  hollow,  where  the  Confederates  could  not  reach  them 
with  their  rifles.  3 

Colonels  McKeen,  Haskell  and  McMahon,  who  were  killed 
in  this  battle,  were  all  young  men.  They  had  served  as  staff 
officers  and  won  honors  on  the  battlefield,  before  being  com 
missioned  to  command  regiments.  They  were  warm  personal 
friends  and  serving  in  the  same  Brigade  with  the  same  rank. 
Colonel  Me  Keen's  commission  bearing  the  earliest  date,  he  was 
commanding  the  Brigade.  Haskell  was  Colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Wisconsin  and  McMahon  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Sixty-fourth  New  York.  Lieutenant-General  Nelson  A.  Miles 
(retired),  who  commanded  a  Brigade  under  Barlow  in  this  battle, 
is  authority  for  the  statement  that  on  the  night  of  June  2nd 
these  three  officers  slept  on  the  ground  under  the  same  blanket. 
They  were  talking  together  during  the  evening,  and  bantering 
one  another  as  to  which  one  would  probably  be  hit  first  the 
next  day.  Within  fifteen  minutes  from  the  time  Gibbon's  line 
of  battle  started,  the  next  morning,  these  three  officers  were 
lying  dead  on  the  battlefield.  McKeen  was  killed  first,  then 
Haskell,  his  successor  in  command  of  the  Brigade,  fell,  and  then 
McMahon  was  killed  inside  the  Confederate  intrenchments. 

Major  Mitchell,  of  General  Hancock's  staff,  made  this 
remark  on  the  third  of  June:  "Altogether  this  has  been  one  of 
the  most  disastrous  days  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  has  ever 
seen,  and  the  old  Second  Corps  has  especially  suffered/'  Gen- 


192  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

eral  Gibbon,  in  his  report  of  this  battle,  makes  the  following 
statement:  'From  the  3rd  to  the  i2th,  the  Division  was 
occupied  in  perfecting  its  position  and  pushing  forward  works 
toward  the  enemy — constantly  under  fire,  both  cannon  and 
musketry,  day  and  night,  losing  some  two  hundred  and  eighty 
officers  and  men,  killed  and  wounded.  During  these  nine  days, 
the  labor  and  military  duty  of  the  Division  were  of  the  hardest 
kind  and  performed  under  the  most  disadvantageous  circum 
stances — confined  for  ten  days  in  narrow  trenches,  with  no 
water  to  wash  in  and  none  to  drink,  except  that  obtained  at  the 
risk  of  losing  life;  unable  to  obey  a  call  of  nature  or  to  stand 
erect,  without  forming  targets  for  hostile  bullets,  and  subjected 
to  the  heat  and  dust  of  midsummer,  which  soon  produced 
sickness  and  vermin.  The  position  was  indeed  a  trying  one; 
but  all  bore  it  cheerfully  and  contentedly,  and  constructed 
covered  ways  to  water  and  to  the  rear  and  joked  of  the  hostile 
bullets  as  they  whistled  over  their  heads,  to  find  a  less  protected 
target  far  in  the  rear  of  the  lines.  I  regard  this  as  having  been 
the  most  trying  period  of  this  trying  campaign."1 

From  the  4th  to  the  nth  of  June,  we  occupied  prac 
tically  the  same  position.  Siege  operations  were  carried 
on  and  the  Union  lines  were  advanced  slowly  by  regular  ap 
proaches.  The  men  of  the  Nineteenth  will  recall  the  deep 
wells  that  the  boys  dug,  with  somewhat  artistic  steps  descend 
ing  to  the  bottom,  where  a  little  poor  water  was  obtained. 
There  was  almost  constant  skirmishing  by  day  and  during  the 
nights  there  was  frequently  heavy  artillery  and  musketry 
firing.  The  lines  of  battle  were  in  such  close  proximity  that 
constant  watchfulness  was  necessary  in  order  to  prevent  sur 
prises.  Both  sides  appeared  to  be  apprehensive  lest  some  ad 
vantage  might  be  obtained  by  the  other.  In  order  to  obtain 
water  in  any  quantities,  or  to  bring  up  supplies  from  the  rear, 
soldiers  passed  back  and  forth  in  zigzag  trenches  covered  for  a 
portion  of  the  distance.  Loopholes  were  made  near  the  top  of 
the  breastworks,  through  which  the  soldiers  would  insert  the 
muzzles  of  their  rifles  and  wait  for  a  "good  shot."  The  writer 
recalls  seeing  a  soldier  of  the  Regiment,  whose  name  he  cannot 

1  War  Records,  Vol.  36,  Part  l,p.433. 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD    HARBOR  193 

remember,  after  having  fired,  quickly  withdraw  his  rifle  and 
put  his  eye  to  the  hole,  to  see  the  effect  of  his  shot.  In  a 
moment  came  the  dull  sound  of  a  bullet  crashing  through  his 
head,  and  the  soldier  fell  dead  as  a  clod  among  his  comrades. 
A  Confederate  skirmisher  had  correctly  timed  the  interval  be 
tween  the  soldier's  firing  and  his  desire  to  investigate  the  result 
of  his  shot.  A  few  years  ago,  and  after  we  had  begun  to  collect 
material  for  this  history,  Captain  Charles  E.  Nash  wrote  as 
follows :  "I  think  there  is  an  omission  in  your  list  of  at  least  one 
casualty  at  Cold  Harbor.  I  remember  vividly  a  tragic  incident 
there  of  a  soldier — I  think  of  Company  B,  whose  name  I  cannot 
recall — who  prepared  his  supper,  ate  it,  repacked  his  dishes, 
was  hit  and  killed  by  a  sharpshooter  and  buried  by  his  com 
rades  near  the  breastwork,  all  within  one  hour's  time/'  If 
this  soldier  was  not  Harvey  C.  Joke,  of  Company  I,  the  writer 
cannot  ascertain  who  the  unfortunate  soldier  was,  although 
he  remembers  the  incident  mentioned  by  Captain  Nash. 

There  was  one  incident  that  afforded  some  satisfaction 
to  the  soldiers  while  confined  in  the  trenches  at  Cold  Harbor 
and  which  has  never  been  seen  in  print.  The  writer  made  a 
record  of  the  same  at  the  time,  and  has  a  very  distinct  recollec 
tion  of  the  fact.  At  times  while  lying  in  the  trenches  here, 
there  had  been  an  agreement  between  the  two  lines  of  battle 
that  there  should  be  a  cessation  of  all  firing  until  one  side  or  the 
other  gave  notice.  This  arrangement  had  been  carried  out  for 
short  intervals  several  times  before  this  incident  happened. 
During  one  of  these  truces,  the  men  were  carelessly  lounging 
about,  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  stretch  themselves.  Some 
had  gone  for  water,  some  were  bringing  up  wood  and  some  from 
both  sides  were  looking  over  the  tops  of  the  breastworks.  They 
were  all  unguarded  and  most  of  them  were  in  plain  sight  of  each 
other,  talking  good-naturedly  back  and  forth  between  the  lines. 
Suddenly  from  the  Confederate  side,  on  a  piece  of  rising  ground, 
rang  out  the  sharp  report  of  a  rifle  and  a  man  belonging  to 
another  regiment,  who  was  bringing  up  an  armful  of  wood  di 
rectly  in  the  rear  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  fell  forward  on  his 
face,  dead.  For  a  moment  everyone  on  both  sides  stood  in 
mute  astonishment;  then  there  was  a  sudden  rush  for  cover. 


194  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMEN! 

Someone  from  the  Nineteenth  went  and  got  a  bugler  from  one 
of  the  Massachusetts  regiments  and  directed  a  plan  of  surprise 
for  the  "Johnnies."  Word  was  passed  along  the  line  for  every 
one  to  be  ready  with  their  rifles  when  the  order, "  forward"  was 
given  by  the  bugler.  Then  the  clear  notes  of  the  bugle  were 
heard,  sounding  the  charge,  and  for  half  a  mile  along  the  lines, 
the  Confederates  jumped  upon  their  breastworks,  ready  for 
business.  All  along  the  Union  line  there  blazed  forth  a  sheet 
of  fire  from  the  rifles  of  the  men,  concealed  behind  their  breast 
works.  Many  a  Confederate  soldier  dropped  in  his  tracks,  and 
those  not  struck  by  our  bullets  quickly  concealed  themselves 
behind  their  intrenchments.  From  our  side  came  laughter  and 
cheers;  from  theirs  came  oaths  and  curses.  The  shot  that 
killed  the  Union  soldier  probably  came  from  some  irresponsible 
idiot  who  knew  no  better.  Doubtless  the  Confederates  re 
gretted  the  act  as  much  as  anyone,  but  the  friendly  relations 
between  the  lines  were  somewhat  strained  thereafter. 

From  the  3rd  to  the  jth  of  June  the  wounded  who  had 
fallen  on  the  first  day,  lay  between  the  lines,  some  of  them 
faintly  calling  to  be  taken  away.  The  dead  were  unburied. 
General  Morgan,  of  General  Hancock's  staff,  concerning  this 
dreadful  interval,  thus  speaks:  "It  was  understood  at  the 
time  that  the  delay  was  caused  by  something  akin  to  a  point  of 
etiquette.  General  Grant  proposed  a  flag  of  truce  as  a  mutual 
accommodation.  General  Lee  replied  that  he  had  no  dead  or 
wounded  not  attended  to,  but  offered  to  grant  a  truce  if  General 
Grant  desired  it  to  attend  to  his  own.  General  Grant  was  then 
compelled  to  ask  a  suspension  of  hostilities  as  a  favor  to  the 
Union  Army.  The  assault  occurred  on  the  morning  of  the 
third,  the  first  flag  was  not  sent  until  the  evening  of  the  fifth, 
and  the  cessation  of  hostilities  did  not  finally  take  place  until 
nearly  five  full  days  after  the  assault.  It  is,  perhaps,  unneces 
sary  to  say  that  the  wounded  who  had  not  been  able  to  crawl 
into  our  lines  at  night  were  now  past  caring  for,  and  the  dead 
were  in  a  horrible  state  of  putrefaction.  Better  the  consuming 
fire  of  the  Wilderness  and  the  Po  than  the  lingering,  agonizing 
death  of  these  poor  men,  whose  vain  calls  for  relief  smote  upon 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD    HARBOR  195 

the  ears  of  their  comrades  at  every  lull  in  the  firing."1  General 
Francis  A.  Walker,  the  able  historian  of  the  Second  Corps,  and 
likewise  on  General  Hancock's  staff,  in  his  life  of  General  Han 
cock,  and  relating  to  the  same  affair,  wrote  as  follows :  "  During 
all  of  this  interval,  it  was  known  that  scores  of  our  desperately 
wounded  were  lying  in  the  narrow  space  between  the  two  lines, 
uncared  for  and  without  water.  All  who  could  crawl  in  to  the 
one  side  or  the  other  had  already  done  so;  hundreds  had  been 
brought  in  at  great  risk  to  their  rescuers;  but  there  were  still 
those  who  lay  helpless  where  it  was  simply  death  for  a  Union 
soldier  to  show  his  head.  Moreover,  the  dead  of  the  third 
nearly  all  lay  where  they  had  fallen.  If  it  be  asked  why  so 
simple  a  duty  of  humanity  as  the  rescue  of  the  wounded  and  the 
burial  of  the  dead  had  been  thus  neglected,  it  is  answered  that 
it  was  due  to  an  unnecessary  scruple  on  the  part  of  the  Union 
Commander-in-chief.  Grant  delayed  sending  a  flag  of  truce  to 
General  Lee  for  this  purpose,  because  it  would  amount  to  an 
admission  that  he  had  been  beaten  on  the  3rd  of  June.  It 
now  seems  incredible  that  he  should  for  a  moment  have  sup 
posed  that  any  other  view  could  be  taken  of  that  action.  But, 
even  if  it  were  so,  this  was  a  very  poor  way  of  rewarding  his 
soldiers  who  had  fallen  in  the  attack  or  of  encouraging  their 
comrades  to  take  similar  risks.  It  was  not  until  the  yth 
that  an  arrangement  was  reached  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities, 
between  six  and  eight  p.  m.,  for  the  burial  of  the  dead  and  re 
moving  the  wounded.  By  this  time,  most  of  the  latter  were 
past  caring  for.  Hardly  was  the  flag  of  truce  over  when 
another  outburst  occurred  which  soon  rose  to  the  greatest 
fury."2  Those  who  are  desirous  of  examining  the  correspond 
ence  between  General  Lee  and  General  Grant  concerning  this 
unfortunate  affair  will  find  the  same  in  the  Records  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  Series  i,  Volume  36,  Part  3,  on  pages  600,  638, 
639,  666  and  667.  While  the  dead  were  being  buried  be 
tween  the  lines  under  this  flag  of  truce,  the  men  of  the  two 
armies  fraternized,  talked  and  joked  together,  exchanged 


1  Walker's  History  of  the  Second  Corps,  p.  518. 

2  Pp.  225,  226. 


196  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

newspapers,  and  traded  coffee  and  tobacco,  as  though  there  was 
no  war  going  on. 

General  Lee  felt  safe  enough  to  withdraw  Early's  Corps 
from  the  intrenchments  at  Cold  Harbor  on  June  «i3th  and  dis 
patch  it  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  on  its  famous  raid  to 
capture  Washington. 

In  the  early  evening  of  June  i2th  the  Second  Corps, 
whose  soldiers  were  nearer  the  enemy's  lines  than  any  other 
Corps  in  the  army,  was  quietly  and  stealthily  withdrawn. 

CASUALTIES  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  AT  THE  BATTLE 
i.  OF  COLD  HARBOR. 

June  2nd  to  12th,  1864. 

Company  A. 
Charles  H.  Tibbetts,  wounded,  June  3rd. 

Company  B. 

John  Rice,  wounded,  June  4th,  died  Augusta,  Maine,  August 
8th,  1864. 

Company  C. 

Sergeant  Alphonzo  Nichols,  wounded,  June  3rd;  Ezra  F.  Mclntire, 
wounded,  June  13th;  Olney  W.  Titus,  wounded,  June  12th,  died 
June  19th;  Aaron  C.  Plummer,  wounded  and  died,  June  4th. 

Company  D. 

Corporal  Frederick  H.  Wyman,  killed,  June  3rd;  Jackson  Mixer, 
killed,  June  3rd, 

Company  E. 

William  Jones,  prisoner,  June  12th,  died  in  Andersonville  prison, 
August  15th. 

Company  H. 

Corporal  Frank  A.  Sherman,  wounded,  June  5th;  Thomas  W. 
Merrow,  wounded,  June  5th. 

Company  I. 
Harvey  C.  Joice,  killed,  June  9th. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  6 

Wounded,  not  fatally        -  5 

Prisoner  and  died  in  prison  -      1 

Total  -                           12 

Speaking  of  the  withdrawal  from  Cold  Harbor,  General 
Walker  makes  this  statement:  "As  the  Second  Corps  turned 
southward  from  Cold  Harbor  to  take  its  part  in  the  second  act 
of  the  great  campaign  of  1864,  the  historian  is  bound  to  confess 
that  something  of  its  pristine  virtue  had  departed  under  the 
terrific  blows  that  had  been  showered  upon  it  in  the  series  of 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND   COLD    HARBOR  197 

fierce  encounters  which  have  been  recited.  Its  casualties  had 
averaged  more  than  four  hundred  a  day  for  the  whole  period 
since  it  crossed  the  Rapidan.  It  had  lost  5,092  in  the  Wilder 
ness,  5,457  at  Spottsylvania,  1,651  on  the  North  Anna  and  the 
Totopotomoy,  and  3,510  at  Cold  Harbor;  in  all  15,710.  But 
even  these  figures  fail  to  tell  the  amount  of  the  injury  that  had 
been  sustained.  Twenty-seven  general  and  field  officers  had 
been  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  and  several  times  that  number 
disabled.  In  a  disproportionate  degree,  it  was  the  bravest  and 
most  enterprising  officers,  the  bravest  and  most  enduring 
soldiers,  who  had  fallen  in  the  assaults  upon  their  intrenched 
positions.  These  were  the  men  who  went  farthest  to  the  front 
stayed  there  longest  and  fell  back  most  slowly  and  grudgingly. 
Moreover,  the  confidence  of  the  troops  in  their  leaders  had  been 
severely  shaken.  They  had  again  and  again  been  ordered  to 
attacks  which  the  very  privates  in  the  ranks  knew  to  be  hope 
less  from  the  start.  They  had  seen  the  fatal  policy  of '  assaults 
all  along  the  line/  persisted  in  after  the  most  ghastly  failures; 
and  they  had  almost  ceased  to  expect  victory  when  they  went 
into  battle.  The  lamentable  story  of  Petersburg  cannot  be 
understood  without  reference  to  facts  like  these.'  f>1 

On  the  i  ith  of  May  General  Grant  wrote  to  General  Hal- 
leek  that  he  proposed  "to  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes  all 
summer."  Well,  if  the  line  was  to  be  a  direct  line,  we  were  now 
getting  pretty  near  the  terminal  station.  General  Lee  stood 
resolutely  facing  his  antagonist,  and  the  last  battle  had  been 
most  decidedly  in  his  favor.  It  seems  very  apparent  that  at 
first  General  Grant  did  not  appreciate  Lee's  ability  nor  the 
valor  of  his  soldiers.  He  had  never  met  their  equals  in  the 
West.  As  soon  as  Grant  crossed  the  Rapidan,  on  May  4th,  he 
wired  Halleck:  "Forty-eight  hours  now  will  demonstrate 
whether  the  enemy  intends  giving  battle  this  side  of  Richmond !" 
That  looks  as  though  Grant  half  expected  Lee  would  run. 
He  evidently  underrated  the  strength  and  ability  of  his  antag 
onist  and  doubtless  shared  the  opinion  of  other  western  officers 
that  there  was  something  lacking  in  the  fighting  qualities 
and  endurance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Grant  learned, 

1  Walker's  Life  of  Hancock,  pp.  228,  229. 


198  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

however,  before  his  campaign  was  far  advanced  that  he  was 
not  fighting  Buckner,  Beauregard,  Van  Dorn,  Pemberton  or 
even  Bragg,  and  that  the  soldiers  whom  Lee  commanded  were 
the  choicest  and  bravest  of  the  whole  Confederate  army.  His 
eyes  were  gradually  opened  to  this  fact.  It  has  been  contended 
by  some  of  our  historians  that  the  "hammering"  process  wisely 
inaugurated  by  General  Grant,  made  necessary  the  frightful 
track  of  bloodshed  from  the  Wilderness  to  Petersburg.  They 
further  claim  that  the  Union  army  could  well  afford  to  sacrifice 
two  or  three  lives  for  one,  in  that  campaign,  and  that  the  loss  of 
60,000  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  without  inflicting  a  propor 
tionate  loss  upon  the  enemy,  counts  for  nothing  as  long  as  we 
were  successful  in  the  end.  Surely  to  admit  that  Grant  could 
not  avoid  paying  such  an  enormous  price  for  his  success  is  to 
concede  the  superior  generalship  of  Lee.  General  Grant  did 
not  despise  strategical  or  tactical  movements  of  his  army  at 
Vicksburg  or  at  Chattanooga.  The  continual  hammering 
process  he  reserved  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  not 
too  great,  however,  to  profit  by  his  experience.  The  blunders 
and  horror  at  Cold  Harbor,  General  Grant  was  manly  enough, 
at  a  later  time,  to  acknowledge  and  deplore.  There  were  no 
other  Cold  Harbors  in  our  history  after  the  early  days  of  June 
1864 — certainly  none  for  which  he  was  responsible. 

Again,  on  May  nth,  General  Grant  wrote  to  Halleck: 
"I  am  satisfied  the  enemy  are  very  shaky  and  are  only  kept 
up  to  the  mark  by  the  greatest  exertion  on  the  part  of  their 
officers."  In  looking  back  now,  after  the  lapse  of  all  these 
years,  we  can  see  how  mistaken  General  Grant  was.  Even 
after  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  Lee  detached  Breckenridge  to 
meet  Hunter,  who  was  pressing  south,  via  Staunton,  towards 
Lynchburg,  and  on  June  i3th,  the  very  day  we  crossed  the 
Chickahominy,  General  Early  with  the  Second  Corps  (Ewell's) 
of  Lee's  Army,  was  hurrying  north,  to  threaten  the  city  of 
Washington. 

After  the  Battle  of  Cold  Harbor  and  before  leaving  there, 
General  Gibbon,  commanding  our  Division,  preferred  charges 
against  Brigadier-General  J.  T.  Owen,  commanding  the  Second 
Brigade,  for  failure  to  obey  orders  to  move  his  Brigade  to  the 


TOTOPOTOMOY    AND    COLD  HARBOR  199 

attack  on  the  enemy's  lines,  at  Spottsylvania,  May  i8th,  and  at 
Cold  Harbor,  on  the  3rd  of  June.  General  Grant  sent  Owen, 
under  arrest,  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  recommended  that  he  be 
mustered  out  of  the  service.  The  recommendation  of  Grant 
was  approved,  and  by  order  of  the  President,  General  Owen 
was  mustered  out  July  i8th,  1864.  He  entered  the  service  as 
Colonel  of  the  Sixty-ninth  Pennsylvania.  His  residence  was 
at  Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia.  The  Sixty-ninth  was  mostly 
composed  of  Irish. 

"  Paddy  Owen,"  as  he  was  called  by  the  soldiers,  was  a 
familiar  figure  in  Gibbon's  Division.  He  was  not  very  highly 
regarded  as  a  commander.  His  burly  form  and  red  face  were 
not  seen  any  more  by  the  Regiment  after  Cold  Harbor.  He 
was  placed  under  arrest  and  reprimanded  by  his  superior 
officers  so  often  that  it  became  monotonous;  yet  he  was  com 
mended  many  times  for  his  coolness  and  bravery  in  battle  in 
the  earlier  years  of  the  war.  At  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg, 
Owen  placed  himself  in  front  of  his  Brigade  and  led  his  troops 
in  the  charge  on  the  Confederate  intrenchments. 

On  the  night  of  June  nth,  our  Division  was  relieved  by 
the  Third  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  we  marched  to  the 
rear  about  a  mile  and  had  a  good  night's  rest.  The  Regiment 
rested  all  day  June  I2th  and  enjoyed  a  good  wash  and  a  general 
cleaning  up. 


200  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SOUTH  OF  THE  JAMES  RIVER  AND  BATTLES  IN 
FRONT  OF  PETERSBURG  JUNE  16-20,  1864. 

A  little  before  midnight,  on  June  I2th,  the  "Regiment, 
under  command  of  Captain  Nash,  started  with  our  Division, 
preceded  by  the  First  Division,  and  crossed  the  Richmond  and 
York  River  railroad,  near  Dispatch  Station;  thence  past 
RatclifTe's  Old  Tavern,  and  crossed  the  Long  Bridge  over 
the  Chickahominy  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Here  we 
rested  and  made  coffee,  and  started  again  before  dark.  At 
about  midnight  we  camped  down  between  Charles  City 
Court  House  and  the  James  river.  It  was  talked  among  the 
members  of  the  Regiment  that  we  encamped  upon  the  farm 
of  ex-President  Tyler,  who  had  died  a  little  more  than  a  year 
before  in  the  city  of  Richmond.  Tyler's  place,  however,  was 
nearly  two  miles  southeast  of  the  Court  House,  and  the  Regi 
ment  did  not  march  as  far  east  as  that.  On  the  next  day, 
June  I4th,  our  Corps  began  crossing  the  James  on  transports, 
at  a  place  called  Wilcox's  Landing,  Birney's  Division  being 
the  first  to  cross.  Our  Division  began  crossing  at  about  half- 
past  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  last  of  the  Division  crossed 
a  little  before  ten  at  night.  Barlow's  Division  crossed  later  in 
the  night.  The  Regiment  marched  about  a  mile  from  the 
landing  into  the  woods  and  lay  down  for  the  night. 

Wilcox's  Landing  is  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  James 
river,  and  Wind  Mill  Point  is  directly  opposite,  on  the  southern 
bank.  These  places  are  twelve  miles  below  City  Point,  thirty- 
five  miles  from  Cold  Harbor  and  twenty  miles  from  Petersburg. 

On  June  I5th,  while  resting  at  Wind  Mill  Point,  the 
original  members  of  the  Fourth  Maine  Regiment  having  served 
their  three  years,  were  discharged.  The  recruits  from  the 
regiment,  both  present  and  absent,  numbering  278,  were  trans- 


SOUTH  OF  THE   JAMES  RIVER  2OI 

ferred,  on  the  rolls,  to"our  Regiment.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
only  seventy-five  men  from  that  regiment  joined  ours.  The 
other  soldiers  transferred  from  that  regiment,  on  paper,  were 
some  of  them  prisoners  of  war  and  others  were  in  hospitals. 
The  men  of  the  Fourth  Maine  who  served  with  us  were  ex 
cellent  soldiers  and  an  honor  to  the  Nineteenth. 

The  men  of  the  Regiment  remained  where  they  slept  on 
the  night  of  June  i4th,  until  nearly  noon  June  i5th,  under  strict 
orders  not  to  wander  away,  and  to  be  ready  to  march  at  a 
moment's  notice.  At  about  half-past  ten  o'clock  the  head  of 
Birney's  Division  moved  out  on  the  long  march  for  Petersburg, 
and  the  head  of  our  Division  started  in  the  column  about  noon. 
We  did  not  enjoy  the  confidence  of  General  Meade  and  so  he 
did  not  reveal  to  us  the  secret  of  our  destination.  Barlow's 
Division  was  marching  on  a  road  parallel  to  that  on  which  we 
were  marching.  The  twenty  miles  covered  by  the  Regiment 
on  this  day  made  a  very  hard  march.  It  was  intensely  hot, 
the  roads  were  dusty,  and  the  color  of  the  soldiers'  uniforms 
could  not  be  distinguished.  The  men  suffered  for  lack  of 
water,  as  none  suitable  for  drinking  purposes  could  be  found  on 
the  march.  Many  men  fell  out  of  the  ranks,  prostrated  by  the 
heat.  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  firing  was  distinctly 
heard  toward  the  front,  and  the  troops  began  to  close  up.  The 
soldiers'  steps  lengthened  and  the  last  few  miles  were  rapidly 
paced  off,  amidst  the  dust  and  heat  of  that  June  day. 

Between  ten  o'clock  and  midnight,  June  i4th,  General 
Hancock  was  informed  by  General  Meade  that  Butler  would 
send  60,000  rations  for  his  Corps  to  Wind  Mill  Point.  As  soon 
as  these  rations  were  received,  Hancock  was  told  that  he  would 
move  his  Corps  by  the  most  direct  route  to  Petersburg.  Meade 
ordered  Hancock  to  take  up  a  certain  position  there,  to  be  de 
termined  by  certain  land-marks,  and  subsequently  the  position 
was  found  to  be  an  impossible  one.  No  intimation  was  given 
him  as  to  whether  any  troops  would  precede  or  follow  him,  or 
for  what  purpose  he  was  sent  to  Petersburg.  The  rations  did 
not  arrive,  as  promised,  and  the  Corps  marched  off  without 
them  about  half-past  ten  o'clock,  June  i5th.  General  Hancock 
was  not  informed  that  General  W.  F.  Smith  or  anybody  else  was 


2O2  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

to  make  an  attack  on  Petersburg.  He  was  neither  commanded 
nor  requested  to  march  rapidly.  Between  five  and  six  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  when  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Peters 
burg,  Hancock  received  an  order  from  General  Grant  directing 
him  to  hasten  forward  to  Petersburg  and  go  to  the  support  of 
General  Smith,  who  commanded  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  and 
who  claimed  to  have  carried  some  of  the  enemy's  works. 
At  about  the  same  time  a  request  came  from  General  Smith 
requesting  him  to  bring  the  Second  Corps  to  his  support.  The 
Corps  was  then  rushed  forward  to  the  support  of  Smith's  troops. 
General  Smith  was  Hancock's  senior  in  rank.  General  Smith 
had  fooled  away  the  afternoon  and  his  Corps  had  been  kept  in 
check  by  a  handful  of  Confederate  troops.  There  is  nothing 
very  creditable  in  recalling  this  day's  work.  But  for  the 
blundering  or  incompetency  of  somebody,  Petersburg  ought 
to  have  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Union  troops  on  June  i5th, 
before  sundown. 

General  Lee  seemed  to  be  completely  bewildered  by  Grant's 
movements  south  of  the  James.  On  June  i6th,  at  10:30  in  the 
morning,  when  the  Second  Corps  was  pushing  its  way  into 
Petersburg,  Lee,  from  Drewry's  Bluff,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
James,  telegraphed  Beauregard,  at  Petersburg:  "I  do  not  know 
the  position  of  Grant's  Army  and  cannot  strip  the  north  bank 
of  the  James  river."  Even  as  late  as  5:30  in  the  afternoon  of 
June  i yth,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee,  at 
Malvern  Hill,  saying:  "Push  after  the  enemy  and  endeavor  to 
ascertain  what  has  become  of  Grant's  Army." 

The  Regiment  arrived  in  sight  of  Petersburg  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  it  was  after  dark  when  our  Brigade 
reached  the  line  of  battle  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps.  Our  Divi 
sion,  under  Gibbon,  was  placed  in  position  after  midnight. 
We  relieved  a  portion  of  General  Smith's  Corps,  and  were 
somewhat  surprised  to  find  ourselves  mingling  with  the  men 
of  the  Eighth  Maine  Regiment  as  it  marched  back  to  the  rear, 
while  we  were  marching  forward  to  take  their  places.  The 
Nineteenth  was  placed  between  the  Friend  House  and  the 
Prince  George  Court  House  road.  Smith  had  in  the  afternoon 
captured  the  outer  line  of  works.  General  Birney's  Division  was 


SOUTH   OF    THE   JAMES    RIVER  2C>3 

on  our  left.  There  was  occasional  firing  all  night.  The  skirmish 
line  was  pushed  out  in  advance,  but  no  skirmishers  were  called 
for  from  our  Regiment.  In  a  very  short  time  some  of  the  men 
were  put  to  work  strengthening  the  rifle  pits,  while  the  balance 
of  them  were  soon  lying  on  the  ground  fast  asleep.  The  soil 
here  consisted  of  sand  and  made  a  very  soft  and  self-adjustable 
bed.  On  the  iyth  of  June,  the  Nineteenth  lay  behind  the  works 
all  day,  although  there  was  some  fighting  on  our  left.  At  the 
close  of  operations  on  June  iyth,  General  Hancock  was  obliged 
to  relinquish,  temporarily,  the  command  of  the  Corps,  by 
reason  of  the  breaking  out  anew  of  his  Gettysburg  wound.  He 
was  absent  from  the  Corps  from  June  iyth  to  the  27th.  General 
Birney  tried  to  fill  his  place.  On  the  morning  of  June  i8th  our 
Regiment  was  moved  to  the  left  and  advanced  to  the  front  line, 
when  the  men  found  themselves  on  the  extreme  right  of  the 
Third  Division,  commanded  by  General  Mott.  On  both  the 
lyth  and  i8th,  Dow's  Sixth  Maine  Battery,  with  its  six  Napo 
leons  (twelve-pounders),  was  in  the  line  on  our  right,  doing 
effective  work.  It  was  a  section  of  this  same  battery  which  did 
such  splendid  work  on  the  plank  road  in  the  Wilderness  on  the 
afternoon  of  May  6th.  Between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  i8th,  the  Third  Division,  under  General  Mott, 
made  a  general  assault  on  the  enemy's  line  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Hare  house,  which  assault,  as  usual,  resulted  in  ignominious 
failure.  It  was  here  that  the  First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery, 
assigned  to  the  Third  Division  May  29th,  met  with  its  awful 
and  unprecedented  loss,  in  sight  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine- 
During  the  charge  of  Mott's  Division,  we  were  kept  busy  keeping 
back  the  Confederate  skirmishers,  who  were  trying  to  get  in  on 
Mott's  right  flank.  Colonel  Chamberlain,  Twentieth  Maine 
Regiment,  was  wounded  in  the  charge.  His  regiment  belonged 
in  the  Fifth  Corps,  which  occupied  ground  considerably  to  the 
left  of  the  Second  Corps. 

A  young  soldier  belonging  to  one  of  the  New  York  regi 
ments  was  brought  back  from  between  the  lines  of  battle  and 
died  with  a  scrap  of  paper  pinned  to  his  coat,  containing  the 
following  pathetic  message,  written  in  lead  pencil : 


204  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE   REGIMENT 

"June  18, 
My  dear  father  and  mother,  sisters  and  brothers : 

I  am  here  on  the  battlefield  wounded  in  two  places — once  through 
the  bowels  and  once  in  the  left  shoulder,  and  must  die  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  The  battle  rages  terribly,  but,  my  dears,  I  die  for  my 
country,  and  I  pray  God  to  take  me  to  that  home  in  Heaven  where  I 
hope  to  meet  you  all.  Good-bye  forever. 

JAMES. 
To  Uriel  Markell,  Spencer,  Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y." 

This  touching  letter  was  forwarded  to  the  parents  and  the 
boy  was  buried  by  his  comrades,  with  tears  streaming  down 
their  cheeks,  as  they  thought  of  the  bereaved  father  and 
mother  in  the  distant  home. 

LOSSES  OF  THE  REGIMENT  IN  THE  BATTLE  OF  PETERS 
BURG. 

June  16th  to  18th,  1864. 

Captain  E.  A.  Burpee,  Company  I,  prisoner,  June  18th. 

Company  A. 

Joseph  W.  Anderson,  wounded,  June  16th;  Charles  H.  Tibbetts, 
wounded,  June  16th:  Isaac  W.  Tibbetts,  wounded,  June  19th. 

Company  B. 
James  H.  Hutchinson,  wounded. 

Company  E. 

Robert  Carlin,  Jr.,  mortally  wounded,  June  18th — died,  June  19th; 
George  H.  Sylvary  (4th  Me.),  killed,  June  18th;  Otis  Colson  (4th  Me.), 
wounded,  June  18th;  Nathan  Winslow  (4th  Me.),  prisoner. 

Company  F. 
Lorenzo  M.  Richardson,  wounded,  June  18th. 

Company  H. 

Corporal  S.  M.  Downs,  wounded,  June  18th;  C.  L.  Ring,  wounded, 
June  18th. 

Company  I. 
Hezekiah  Merrow  (4th  Me.)  killed  in  action,  June  18th. 

The  men  got  what  rest  they  could  behind  the  breastworks 
on  June  I9th  and  were  relieved  by  a  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
on  the  evening  of  the  20th,  and  marched  what  seemed  to  be 
several  miles  to  the  left.  We  encamped  for  the  night  near  the 
Norfolk  and  Petersburg  railroad.  On  the  afternoon  of  June 
2ist  we  advanced,  gradually  extending  our  line  forward  to  the 
left,  in  the  direction  of  the  Weldon  railroad.  The  morning  of 
June  22nd  found  us  considerably  advanced  and  behind  shallow 
rifle  pits  which  had  been  hurriedly  thrown  up  during  the  night. 
They  were  not  much  protection,  and  during  the  forenoon  the 


SOUTH    OF    THE    JAMES    RIVER  205 

men  were  induced  to  strengthen  these  rifle  pits  by  the  most 
persuasive  of  arguments — Confederate  sharpshooters. 

President  Lincoln  arrived  at  City  Point  June  2ist,  and  in 
the  afternoon  of  that  day  rode  with  General  Grant  to  the  lines 
in  front  of  Petersburg. 


206  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 


CHAPTER  XII. 

BATTLE  OF  JERUSALEM  PLANK  ROAD. 

The  history  of  June  22nd,  1864,  records  one  of  the  most 
humiliating  disasters  that  ever  befell  the  Nineteenth  Maine. 
Neither  the  soldiers  of  the  Nineteenth,  nor  the  regiments  of 
the  Division  and  Corps,  were  responsible  for  the  disgraceful 
results  of  that  day.  The  fault  lay  with  the  officers  in  command 
of  the  troops.  It  appears  that  our  Corps,  temporarily  in  com 
mand  of  General  Birney,  was  ordered  to  hold  its  connection 
with  the  Fifth  Corps  on  the  right  and  to  swing  forward  to  the 
left,  using  the  right  Brigade  as  a  pivot,  but  to  keep  connection 
with  the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  left.  Much  of  the  advance  was 
through  woods  and  thickets,  and  it  would  have  been  slow 
work  even  if  there  had  been  no  enemy  in  front.  The  Sixth 
Corps  had  necessarily  a  much  longer  distance  to  march  before 
coming  in  contact  with  the  enemy.  The  Jerusalem  plank  road 
runs  nearly  south  from  Petersburg,  and  where  the  Second  Corps 
was  manoeuvering  was  about  equidistant  from  the  Norfolk  and 
from  the  Weldon  railroads.  The  Corps  had  all  crossed  to  the 
west  of  the  Jerusalem  road.  The  Brigade  was  commanded 
by  General  B.  R.  Pierce,  formerly  Colonel  of  the  Third  Michigan, 
who  had  been  slightly  wounded  four  days  before.  The  Nine 
teenth  was  in  the  edge  of  some  woods  fronting  a  clearing. 
The  Division  hospital  was  established  at  the  Cheeves  house,  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Jerusalem  road  and  about  half  a  mile 
directly  to  the  rear  of  the  Regiment. 

The  regiments  of  the  First  Brigade  were  arranged  in  the 
following  order,  from  left  to  right:  First  Minnesota  Battalion, 
Nineteenth  Maine,  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  Forty-second 
New  York,  Eighty-second  New  York,  Fifteenth  Massachusetts, 
Fifty-ninth  New  York,  Twentieth  Massachusetts,  Thirty-sixth 
Wisconsin  and  Seventh  Michigan,  the  latter  regiment  being 


BATTLE    OF   JERUSALEM    PLANK    ROAD 

near  the  Jerusalem  plank  road.  The  Second  Brigade,  under 
command  of  Major  O'Brien,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second 
New  York  Volunteers,  was  on  our  left.  The  regiment  on  the 
extreme  right  of  the  Second  Brigade  and  adjoining  ours  was  the 
Seventy-second  Pennsylvania.  Firing  from  the  front  began 
to  increase  about  two  o'clock  and  by  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  while  our  men  were  engaged  in  watching  toward 
the  front  and  firing,  a  Confederate  line  of  battle  charged 
along  the  rear  of  the  Union  lines  from  left  to  right,  killing 
and  wounding  many  and  taking  a  large  number  of  prisoners. 
The  first  thing  the  Nineteenth  knew  of  the  approaching  ca 
lamity  was  the  giving  way  of  the  Second  Brigade  and  First 
Minnesota  Battalion  on  our  immediate  left — the  men  of  which 
did  not  run  directly  to  the  rear,  but  ran  more  lengthwise 
toward  the  right  and  in  the  rear  of  our  Regiment,  closely  pur 
sued  by  the  exultant  foe.  The  men  of  the  Regiment  had  no 
chance  whatever.  If  they  desired  to  avoid  being  taken  pris 
oners,  their  only  course  was  to  get  far  enough  to  the  rear  so 
they  could  face  the  Confederates  and  fire  upon  them.  There  had 
been  no  strong  works  built  the  night  before.  When  the  Nine 
teenth  faced  this  sudden  danger,  the  ground  in  the  rear  of 
McKnight's  Battery  was  filled  with  Mott's  Third  Division 
troops,  in  a  disorganized  state,  fleeing  and  followed  closely  by 
the  Second  Brigade  of  our  own  Division.  Captain  McKnight's 
men  stood  by  their  guns  until  the  enemy  came  up  to  them, 
some  from  the  rear  and  some  over  their  own  works  from  the  front, 
calling  upon  them  to  surrender.  The  men  of  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  retreated  rapidly  a  short  distance  and  then  halted  in  the 
woods,  across  an  old  wood  road,  under  the  immediate  direction 
of  General  Pierce.  The  First  Minnesota  Battalion  was  thrown 
to  the  front  as  skirmishers.  Three  or  four  regiments  from  the 
Fourth  Brigade  here  joined  the  Nineteenth  Maine  and  the  First 
Minnesota  and  advanced  under  the  direction  of  General  Pierce. 
Twice  our  line  was  pressed  forward  to  recapture  McKnight's 
Battery,  but  now  the  enemy  were  firing  from  behind  our  own 
works,  and  that  firing  was  so  deadly  that  it  was  impossible  to 
accomplish  anything.  The  charge  of  the  enemy  from  left  to 
right  exhausted  itself  when  it  reached  the  Thirty-sixth  Wiscon 


208  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

sin  regiment,  which  regiment  lost  heavily  in  killed  and  wounded 
during  the  afternoon,  but  more  especially  in  prisoners.  Of  the 
six  non-commissfoned  officers  who  constituted  the  color  guard 
of  the  Nineteenth  the  morning  of  June  22nd,  Color-Sergeant 
Preston  J.  Carter,  of  Company  C,  and  Corporal  Otis  Little,  of 
Company  I,  were  killed,  the  former  with  the  colors  in  his  hands; 
Sergeant  Wm.  B.  Sawyer,  of  Company  E,  and  Corporal  John 
Day  Smith,  of  Company  F,  were  wounded,  and  Sergeant  John  T. 
Frost,  of  Company  D,  and  Corporal  N.  C.  McFarland,  of  Com 
pany  K,  were  taken  prisoners.  Three  times  during  that  after 
noon  the  man  bearing  the  colors  was  shot  dead  in  his  tracks, 
but  another  man  would  immediately  catch  the  flag  and  bear  it 
to  the  front.  Not  once  did  the  old  flag  touch  the  ground. 

Preston  J.  Carter  was  a  clean,  manly  fellow,  about  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  came  to  us  from  the  Fourth  Maine,  about 
the  time  we  left  Cold  Harbor.  He  had  borne  the  colors  of  the 
Fourth  Maine,  and  when  coming  to  our  Regiment  he  took  the 
same  position.  He  was  finishing  his  course  of  study  in  the 
Rockland  High  School  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Maine, 
leaving  a  widowed  mother  at  home.  He  was  an  only  son. 
Young  Carter  had  been  with  the  Nineteenth  scarcely  two  weeks, 
yet  every  man  in  the  Regiment  who  knew  him  came  to  respect 
him. 

General  Meade  had  become  impatient  at  the  slow  progress 
made  in  the  advance  of  the  Second  Corps,  by  reason  of  the  left 
of  the  Corps  waiting  to  keep  its  connection  with  the  Sixth, 
so  he  ordered  General  Birney,  soon  after  noon,  to  push  the  left 
wing  of  his  Corps  forward  without  regard  to  the  position  of  the 
Sixth  Corps.  This  was  what  gave  the  enemy  the  opportunity 
he  was  looking  for.  Then,  perhaps,  the  left  flank  of  the 
Corps,  in  its  advanced  position,  ought  to  have  been  better 
protected  by  facing  to  the  south  some  of  the  brigades  on  the 
extreme  left  of  the  Corps,  to  prevent  just  what  occurred.  It 
was  openly  charged  and  talked  among  the  officers  and  men  at 
the  time  that  some  of  the  officers  at  Division  and  Corps  head 
quarters  were  unfit  for  duty  by  reason  of  intoxication. 

Official  wrath  had  to  be  visited  upon  somebody,  and  so 
General  Gibbon,  smarting  under  a  sense  of  mortification, 


Corporal  John  Day  Smith,   Co.   F. 


BATTLE   OF   JERUSALEM    PLANK    ROAD  209 

relieved  General  Pierce,  who  was  in  no  wise  at  fault,  and  as 
signed  Colonel  William  Blaisdell,  of  the  Eleventh  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  to  the  command  of  our  Brigade.  Colonel  Blaisdell 
was  from  Boston  and  nearly  fifty  years  old,  but  was  a  brave, 
faithful  officer.  He  was  killed  the  next  day  after  assuming 
command  of  the  Brigade. 

That  portion  of  his  report  relating  to  this  engagement,  made 
by  Captain  Spaulding,  who  had  returned  two  days  before  and 
was  in  command  of  the  Regiment  on  this  day,  is  as  follows :  "At 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  22nd,  advanced  to  the 
skirmish  line  and  commenced  throwing  up  earthworks  under 
destructive  fire.  Occupied  this  line  until  about  two  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  troops  on  the  left  were  discovered  to  be 
falling  back.  It  was  impossible  to  change  front  in  that  position, 
as  the  enemy  in  our  old  front  would  have  an  enfilading  fire  of 
artillery  and  infantry  on  our  line.  The  Regiment  held  this 
position  until  the  enemy  were  close  upon  its  left  flank  and  rear, 
when  it  was  compelled  to  retire,  losing  heavily  in  killed,  wound 
ed  and  prisoners.  The  Regiment  was  then  placed  on  the  left 
of  the  line,  which  was  immediately  formed  to  retake  the  battery 
and  works  lost.  Advanced  twice  with  that  line  upon  the  enemy. 
The  casualties  on  this  day  were  very  numerous.  The  colors 
fell  three  times,  the  men  who  successively  bore  them  being 
shot  dead." 

In  1892  the  writer  went  over  the  battle  ground  of  the  i8th 
and  22nd  of  June,  1864,  in  company  with  General  Mahone. 
This  Confederate  officer  commanded  the  troops  that  made  us 
so  much  trouble  on  the  Jerusalem  plank  road,  on  June  22nd. 
General  Mahone  was  hospitable  and  presented  the  writer  with 
a  Confederate  map  of  the  battlefield,  and  made  to  him  the 
following  statement: 

''On  the  morning  of  June  22nd,  1864,  my  division  and  the  division 
of  Wilcox  occupied  the  ground  in  front  of  the  Second  Corps,  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  My  headquarters  were  in  the  rear  of  the  ground  after 
ward  occupied  by  Fort  Mahone.  On  that  morning,  General  Lee  rode 
up  to  my  tent  and  sat  on  his  horse,  looking  through  his  field-glass, 
where  my  skirmishers  were  quite  briskly  engaged  with  those  of  General 
Gibbon.  During  the  preceding  night  and  early  in  the  morning  of  this 
day,  Gibbon's  skirmishers  had  been  pushed  out  in  front,  and  his  line  of 
battle  advanced  through  the  woods  up  to  the  edge  of  the  clearing,  which, 
^n  some  places,  extended  to  our  lines.  After  finishing  his  inspection, 


2IO  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

he  put  up  his  field-glass,  and,  turning  to  me,  said :  'General,  I  don't  want 
the  Federals  to  advance  any  further  in  this  direction.'  I  replied :  'Gen 
eral  Lee,  do  I  understand  that  you  wish  me  to  drive  them  back?'  Lee 
answered:  'You  understand  me  correctly,  sir.'  And,  having  saluted  me 
in  the  most  formal  manner,  he  rode  back  toward  the  city. 

"I  knew  every  foot  of  the  ground  in  and  around  Petersburg.  There 
was  quite  a  deep  ravine  near  the  right  of  my  division,  which  extended 
down  toward  and  beyond  the  Federal  line.  I  sent  my  scouts  down 
this  gully,  asking  them  to  report  to  me  as  soon  as  possible  the  result  of 
their  observations.  General  Wilcox,  who  was  not  under  my  immediate 
command,  wished  to  accompany  me  with  a  portion  of  his  division.  My 
scouts  reported  to  me  that  the  place  where  this  ravine  came  out  into  the 
Federal  lines  was  not  occupied  by  troops,  but  that  the  left  flank  of  the 
Federal  line  was  some  little  distance  from  this  ravine.  They  also  re 
ported  that  there  was  a  line  of  battle  evidently  pushing  its  way  through 
the  woods,  a  considerable  distance  to  the  rear  and  on  the  right  of  this 
valley.  That  body  of  troops  was  evidently  the  Sixth  Corps.  I  formed 
my  plan  at  once,  to  push  my  division  down  into  this  gap  between  the 
Second  and  Sixth  Corps,  and  endeavor  to  get  into  the  rear  of  the  Second 
Corps.  I  took  most  of  my  division  along,  leaving  a  part  of  a  brigade 
in  my  original  line  of  battle,  and  hurried  down  this  ravine  until  I  had 
readied  the  rear  of  the  left  flank  of  the  Second  Corps,  and,  as  far  as  I 
could  ascertain,  without  having  been  observed  by  any  of  the  Federal 
troops.  I  hastily  formed  my  division  for  a  charge  along  the  rear  of  the 
Federal  line,  from  its  left  flank  toward  its  right.  I  requested  General 
Wilcox  to  accompany  me,  as  a  support,  with  the  small  force  which  he 
had.  He  insisted,  however,  that  he  ought  to  move  farther  to  the  right 
and  strike  some  portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  I  confess,  I  was  pretty 
indignant  when  he  started  on  his  wild  goose  chase.  My  appearance 
upon  the  left  flank  and  rear  of  the  Federal  line  was  a  complete  surprise 
to  them.  There  was  a  regiment  or  two  upon  their  left  flank  which  were 
easily  brushed  aside. 

"The  Federal  troops  were  willing  enough  to  run,  but  the  difficulty 
was,  they  didn't  know  which  way  to  start.  We  captured  those  who 
hesitated  and  those  who  could  not  run  as  fast  as  my  men.  Many  of 
my  troops  stopped  to  drive  the  prisoners  over  toward  our  lines,  so  that 
by  the  time  I  had  reached  McKnight's  Battery  and  captured  that,  the 
force  of  my  charge  was  nearly  spent.  I  pressed  my  troops  forward, 
however,  and  I  would  think  that  I  reached  a  point  some  ten  or  twelve 
rods  beyond  this  battery.  Just  before  reaching  McKnight's  Battery, 
Wilcox  rode  up,  following  the  sound  of  my  guns  and  trailing  along  in 
the  rear,  and  asked  me  where  he  should  go.  I  told  him  he  might  go  to 
h — 1,  for  all  I  cared.  His  troops  had  accomplished  nothing.  In  the 
meantime,  the  Federals  had  recovered  somewhat  from  their  stampede, 
and  I  hastily  gathered  the  spoils  of  victory  and  withdrew  to  my 
original  line,  practically  unmolested.  I  felt,  at  the  close  of  the  day, 
that  I  had  done  something  toward  evening  up  the  score  which  the 
enemy  made  at  Spottsylvania,  on  May  12th." 

From  June  i5th  to  the  3oth,  the  losses  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  were  reported  at  over  13,500,  nearly  4000  of  whom 
were  prisoners.  The  Second  Corps  loss  was  reported  at  6600, 
and  of  this  number  about  2300  were  prisoners.  The  reports 
do  not  show  the  losses  on  the  i6th,  iyth,  i8th  and  22nd  sep- 


BATTLE  OF  JERUSALEM  PLANK  ROAD         211 

arately.  General  Walker  states  that  the  Second  Corps  lost  in 
prisoners  on  the  22nd  of  June,  1700  men.  These  losses  would 
not  seem  so  large  if  we  had  had  any  substantial  fruits  to  show 
for  them.  Of  course  some  damage  had  been  inflicted  upon 
the  enemy,  but  nothing  to  compensate  for  our  heavy  losses. 
The  list  below  shows  how  the  Nineteenth  fared  on  this  day: 

CASUALTIES  OF  REGIMENT  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  JERUSALEM 
PLANK  ROAD. 
June  22nd,  1864. 

Second  '{Lieutenant  Lafayette  Carver,  Company  I,  mortally 
wounded,  died  same  day. 

Company   A . 
Sergeant  Hiram  W.  Gage,  wounded. 

Company  B. 

Sergeant  Charles  W.  Hopkins  (4th  Me.),  wounded;  Charles  A. 
Chandler,  wounded,  died  July  2nd  at  Corps  Hospital;  Erastus  T. 
Wilson,  wounded. 

Company  C. 

Sergeant  Preston  J.  Carter  (4th  Me.),  killed  with  colors  in  his 
hand;  Alfred  Keene,  killed;  Orrin  Sargent,  killed;  Asa  Douglas  (4th 
Me.),  wounded;  Albert  Grover  (4th  Me.),  wounded;  Albert  J.  Gray, 
wounded. 

Company   D. 
Oliver  Cromwell,  wounded;  Henry  Martin,  (4th  Me.)  wounded. 

Company  E. 

Judah  Cilley,  wounded,  died  in  Carver  General  Hospital,  August 
30th;  John  C.  Pinkham,  wounded. 

Company  F. 

Corporal  Richard  H.  Spear,  killed,  June  23rd;  Corporal  John 
Day  Smith,  wounded;  Thomas  Hefferan,  wounded. 

Company  G. 

Corporal  Charles  R.  Powers,  wounded,  died  July  22nd,  David's 
Island,  N.  Y.  Harbor;  George  F.  Doe,  wounded,  June  23rd;  Daniel  B. 
Hanson,  wounded;  Corporal  Orrin  P.  Smart,  wounded,  June  23rd. 

Company  I. 

Corporal  Otis  Little,  killed;  Corporal  Harrison  B.  Bowley, 
wounded. 

Company  K. 

Sergeant  George  E.  Grows,  wounded,  died  July  7th,  1864;  Ser 
geant  Stephen  P.  Trafton,  wounded;  Corporal  Charles  B.  Flinn, 
wounded;  Albert  W.  Bryer  (4th  Me.),  wounded,  died  July  7th,  1864; 
Amasa  P.  Jackson,  wounded;  John  S.  Chapman,  wounded,  died  of 
wounds,  July  27th;  John  H.  Williams,  wounded. 

PRISONERS. 

Company   A. 

Corporal  Perham  Heald. 

PRIVATES— Richard  Allum  (4th  Me.),  Geo.  H.  Baker  (4th  Me.), 
William  Crosby,  (4th  Me.),  died  in  Anderson ville  Sept.  12th,  1864; 
Benjamin  F.  Charles,  John  R.  George,  Sylvanus  B.  Hatch  (4th  Me.), 


212  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Joseph  F.  Ingalls,  George  W.  Jackson  (4th  Me.),  Henry  Leavitt,  died 
Andersonville,  Sept.  12th,  1864  (other  reports  state  died  Nov.  1st, 
1864);  John  W.  Meader,  M.  W.  McManus  (4th  Me.),  William  H.  Not- 
tage,  Joseph  A.  Overlook,  Sanford  B.  Sylvester  (4th  Me.),  Manuel 
Sidelinger  (4th  Me.),  Bradford  B.  Wells,  David  Williams. 

Company  B. 

Judson  Dexter  (4th  Me.),  Edwin  O.  Sanborn. 
Company   D. 

Sergeant  John  F.  Frost;  Corporal  Levi  M.  Poor. 

PRIVATES — Oliver  Cromwell,  died  October  18,  1864;  Joseph  E. 
Clark,  (4th  Me.),  died  in  prison,  October  2;  James  B.  Eaton,  (4th  Me.), 
Hiram  B.  Hoffses,  died  at  Andersonville,  December  27th,  1864;  John 
Huzzey,  John  Jones,  William  F.  Moody,  Charles  W.  Merrill  (4th  Me.), 
Myrick  Perham,  John  F.  Russ  (4th  Me.),  John  A.  White,  died  Ander 
sonville,  October  1st. 

Company  E. 

John  Carr,  died  in  prison,  September  15th;  Augustus  Campbell, 
Henry  N.  Tyzaac. 

Company  F. 

Sergeant  Philip  H.  Foster. 

PRIVATES — J.  C.  Briggs,  died  at  Andersonville,  August  8th; 
Patrick  Bray  (4th  Me.),  N.  O.  Gowell,  died  Andersonville,  January 
llth,  1865;  William  Howard,  Maxim  Layois,  Freeman  Jones  (4th  Me.), 
Isaac  Jordon  (4th  Me.),  died  Andersonville  prison,  Feb.  6,  '65;  Charles 
A.  Wood  (4th  Me.). 

Company  G. 

James  Ballard,  died  Andersonville  prison,  Oct.  11,  '64,  erroneously 
reported  deserted;  William  H.  Jackman,  Peter  Lee,  Alfred  J.  Marston, 
died  at  Andersonville,  September  12th. 

Company   H. 

Charles  Prescott,  died  Andersonville,  January  7th,  1865. 
Company  I. 

Corporal  Warren  B.  Thorndike,  died  Andersonville,  March  20th, 
1865;  Corporal  Alden  W.  Dyer,  Joseph  Boardway  (4th  Me.),  Augus 
tus  Burgin,  (4th  Me.),  died  Andersonville  prison,  Sept.  llth,  '64; 
Francis  Kelley,  Jeremiah  Kelley,  (4th  Me.),  died  Andersonville  prison, 
Oct.  28th;  Andrew  J.  Miles,  Francis  *  Mulligan,  Joseph  H.  Norton, 
Elijah  Ware,  J.  B.  Walker,  Edwin  Savage,  Andrew  Springer,  G.  E. 
Sherwood. 

Company  K. 

Corporal  Nathaniel  C.  McFarland,  wounded  and  prisoner,  died  An 
dersonville  March  13,  '65;  Reuben  Gibbs,  died,  Andersonville  prison, 
January  23rd,  1865. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  12 

Wounded,  not  fatally  19 

Prisoneis,  of  whom  at  least   18  died  in  prison  -                                66 

Total  97 

Concerning  the  engagement  of  June  22nd,  B.  F.  Fairbanks, 
of  Company  H,  writes:  "The  Confederates  made  a  sudden 
and  unexpected  dash  upon  us  from  the  left  flank  and  rear  and 
captured  portions  of  the  Fifteenth,  Nineteenth  and  Twentieth 


BATTLE    OF   JERUSALEM    PLANK    ROAD  213 

Massachusetts  Regiments  and  a  goodly  number  of  the  Nine 
teenth  Maine.  To  save  ourselves,  we  were  obliged  to  fall  back 
from  our  works.  After  a  short  time  we  re-formed,  when  a 
charge  was  ordered,  and  Captain  Spaulding  led  us.-  The  enemy 
made  a  stubborn  resistance,  but  was  finally  driven  back  over 
our  works.  I  remember  distinctly  of  seeing  the  cook  of  one 
of  the  company  officers  coming  up  to  us  with  a  gun  in  his  hands 
as  we  were  about  to  charge.  He  had  been  taking  a  little  too 
much  firewater  and  was  full  of  fight.  I  noticed  him  a  little 
to  my  left  and  I  do  not  think  he  knew  which  company  he  was 
in,  or  where  he  belonged.  I  saw  him  afterward  fall,  mortally 
wounded.  In  this  charge  a  ball  struck  my  cartridge  box  and 
a  minute  later  one  struck  the  barrel  of  my  rifle.  The  firing  kept 
up  between  the  lines  until  late  in  the  night.  The  pitch  on  a 
dry  tree,  a  few  rods  in  front  of  us,  had  caught  fire  by  some 
means  and  made  quite  an  illumination.  It  was  after  dark, 
and  this  fire  gave  the  enemy  a  little  better  view  of  us  at  this 
point.  I  heard  some  officer  order  a  soldier  to  go  and  put  out 
the  fire,  with  a  canteen  of  water.  In  obeying  the  order,  the 
soldier  succeeded  in  partly  extinguishing  the  blaze.  The 
same  officer  sent  a  second  soldier  to  see  what  had  become  of  the 
first.  The  second  soldier  found  the  first  one  dead  near  the  tree 
and  he  himself  was  wounded  before  he  got  back  to  our  lines." 

Corporal  W.  S.Vinal,  of  Company  I,  who  was  taken  prisoner 
on  this  occasion,  gives  the  following  description  of  his  exper 
iences  : 

"On'the  22nd  day  of  June,  '64,  the  Regiment  was  lying  in  front 
of  Petersburg  near  the  plank  road,  where  ithe  enemy  made  an  attack  on 
the  left,  broke  the  Union  line  and  captured  some  2000  prisoners,  fifty- 
five  being  from  the  Nineteenth  Maine.  The  most  of  them  were  taken 
from  the  right  of  the  Regiment.  We  were  marched  to  rebel  headquarters 
where  they  deprived  us  of  our  haversacks,  shelter  tents  and  blankets — 
what  I  called  putting  us  in  light  marching  order.  Then  some  of  us 
who  were  captured  on  the  right  of  the  line  were  marched  into  the  city 
Petersburg  and  confined  in  some  buildings  along  the  river  which  were 
used  before  the  war  for  tobacco  warehouses.  Those  taken  from  the 
left  of  the  line  were  held  above  the  city,  and  on  the  following  morning 
we  joined  them.  On  the  24th  of  June  we  were  taken  to  Richmond, 
where  some  were  placed  in  Libby  Prison  and  the  others  were  sent  to 
Belle  Island,  in  the  James  river.  This  is  where  the  boys  of  the  Regi 
ment  were  separated.  I  was  confined  with  those  who  were  in  Libby, 
v,  here  we  remained  about  one  week.  During  this  time  we  were  taken 
into  a  room,  a  few  at  a  time,  and  searched  for  money  or  anything  of 


214  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

value,  which  was  taken  from  us.  From  Libby  Prison  we  were  sent  by 
train  to  Lynchburg.  A  few  days  before  we  arrived  there  our  cavalry 
made  a  sweep  down  through  that  country  and  tore  up  about  twenty 
miles  of  railroad  track  between  Lynchburg  and  Danville,  so  when  we 
got  to  Lynchburg  we  had  to  march  from  there  to  Danville,  a  distance 
of  about  seventy  miles.  We  were  given  three  days'  rations  for  the 
march  through  and  were  four  days  making  the  distance.  Our  rations 
lasted  about  two  days,  so  the  last  two  days  we  had  to  go  without  any 
thing  to  eat.  We  reached  Danville  the  night  of  the  Fourth  of  July  and 
left  there  the  6th,  arriving  at  Andersonville  on  the  9th  of  July.  At 
that  time  there  were  about  twenty  thousand  prisoners  confined  there, 
and  from  that  time  on  they  were  bringing  in  new  prisoners  about  every 
day.  The  same  day  I  reached  there  I  was  talking  with  one  of  the  old 
prisoners,  who  told  me  he  was  from  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  I  think,  of 
Company  F.l  As  I  remember,  he  said  he  was  captured  at  Gettysburg, 
on  the  skirmish  line,  July  3rd,  1863.  He  was  on  Belle  Island  the  winter 
before,  and  the  spring  after  the  stockade  was  built  he  was  sent  down  to 
Andersonville.  I  don't  know  whether  he  got  home  or  not.  They  com 
menced  to  take  prisoners  out  of  Andersonville  about  the  first  of  Septem 
ber.  At  that  time  there  were  about  3000  men  taken  from  the  stockade 
and  sent  around  to  different  prisons,  and  this  was  where  our  boys  be 
came  separated.  There  was  quite  a  number  of  us  kept  together,  and 
we  were  the  last  ones  to  get  out  of  the  stockade.  About  the  middle  of 
October  we  were  sent  to  Millen  and  placed  in  the  stockade  there.  It 
was  about  ninety  miles  from  Savannah.  We  remained  there  until 
November.  I  suppose  the  reason  for  moving  us  from  place  to  place  was 
to  keep  us  away  from  Sherman's  Army.  We  were  taken  out  of  the 
Millen  prison  about  the  middle  of  November  and  were  informed  that 
we  were  to  be  removed  to  Savannah  for  parole.  We  left  the  prison 
about  eight  o'clock  one  cold  and  stormy  night,  but  remained  at  the 
station  until  nearly  morning,  when  we  were  placed  on  the  train  and 
sent  to  Savannah.  We  arrived  there  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  were 
taken  a  short  distance  from  the  station  and  placed  in  a  field,  with  a 
guard  around  us,  where  we  were  kept  until  the  following  day.  It  was 
very  cold.  Eleven  of  the  boys,  those  who  were  weakest  and  feeblest, 
were  frozen  during  the  night.  The  next  afternoon  we  were  loaded  on 
to  some  platform  cars.  I  now  supposed  that  we  were  going  down  the 
river  to  be  paroled,  but  the  next  day  we  brought  up  at  Blackshear, 
about  ninety  miles  south  of  Savannah.  Here  we  were  taken  some 
distance  from  the  town,  near  a  stream.  A  guard  was  placed  around  the 
encampment  and  artillery  was  also  stationed  at  different  points.  Here 
were  collected  about  6000  prisoners  within  this  enclosure.  One  day 
they  brought  us  tables  and  writing  materials,  took  out  3000,  paroled 
them  and  sent  them  to  Savannah.  Next  day  they  took  another  thou 
sand  and  paroled  them.  They  did  not  send  them  away,  but  kept  them 
by  themselves.  The  next  day  they  put  the  last  thousand,  which  they 
did  not  send  away,  in  with  the  rest  of  the  prisoners.  On  the  following 
day,  the  second  thousand  they  sent  to  Savannah,  and  the  first  thousand 
they  sent  away.  I  learned  afterwards  they  carried  them  to  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina.  We  remained  at  Blackshear  a  short  time,  when  we 
were  packed  again  into  box  cars  and  sent  down  to  Thomasville  and 
put  into  about  such  a  place  as  we  had  at  Blackshear.  After  remaining 
here  for  two  or  three  weeks,  one  morning  we  had  orders  to  'fall  in,'  and 
we  were  compelled  to  march  to  Albany,  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles. 

1  This  man  was  probably   Corporal   George  W.  Andrews,    Com 
pany  G;  Eli  Noyes,  Company  B,  or  John  H.  Estes,  Company  H. 


BATTLE  OF  JERUSALEM  PLANK  ROAD         215 

From  Albany  we  took  the  train  to  Andersonville,  arriving  there  De 
cember  25th,  '64.  In  this  awful  place  we  remained  until  the  next 
spring.  There  were  about  8,000  prisoners  in  this  stockade  during  the 
winter.  The  Confederates  commenced  to  take  the  prisoners  out  again 
the  last  of  March  and  send  them  through  to  Vicksburg.  They  sent 
through  that  way  4,000  and  the  rest  of  us  remained  in  the  stockade  until 
April  22nd,  1865,  when  they  commenced  to  take  us  out  again.  A 
number  of  the  Nineteenth  men  came  out  among  the  last  thousand. 
About  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  22nd  we  were  placed  on  a 
box  car  and  remained  there  until  the  next  morning,  when  we  were 
sent  down  to  Albany,  a  small  village  about  forty  miles  south  of  Ander 
son  ville.  From  there  we  marched  through  to  Thomasville,  about 
seventy-five  miles  from  Abany,  and  then  took  the  train  to  Lakeside, 
Florida,  where  we  arrived  on  the  27th  of  April.  That  night  a  quarter 
master  came  into  camp  and  told  us  we  were  to  draw  two  days'  rations 
and  on  the  next  morning  we  were  to  be  sent  into  our  lines.  We  drew 
our  rations  that  night,  and  on  the  following  morning  two  trains  came 
down  from  the  city  and  took  about  one-half  of  our  number  and  carried 
them  out  on  the  road  forty  miles  to  a  station  called  Baldwin.  They 
returned  and  took  the  remainder  of  us  about  three  o'clock.  We  reached 
Baldwin  about  five  o'clock  and  remained  there  about  an  hour. 
At  last — Oh!  at  last  — they  told  us  to  go,  and  we  went  without  a  second 
invitation.  We  tramped  on  through  their  picket  line,  which  was  about 
one  half-mile  from  the  station,  and  followed  the  railroad  through  to 
Jacksonville,  Florida,  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  miles.  We  went 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  city  that  night  and  the  next  morning  went  into 
the  city.  We  were  about  as  ragged  and  dirty  a  set  of  fellows  as  you 
could  wish  to  see.  We  got  into  Jacksonville  the  morning  of  the  29th  of 
April,  remained  there  about  a  week  and  were  sent  home  and  discharged 
from  the  service.  Many  of  our  regiment — among  them  Corporal  Levi 
M.  Poor,  of  Company  D,  residing  at  Agusta,  went  into  our  lines  via 
Vicksburg. 

"I  have  purposely  omitted  from  this  account  the  scenes  of  in 
describable  cruelty,  suffering  and  horror  in  those  awful  prison  pens. 
No  one  can  ever  know  what  our  boys  suffered,  except  the  knowledge 
be  had  through  bitter  experience.  It  all  comes  back  to  me  like  an 
awful  nightmare  after  all  the  years  that  have  passed  since  the  long 
months  of  hunger,  sickness  and  brutality." 

This  somewhat  extended  statement  of  Corporal  Vinal  is 
given  because  it  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  experiences  of  our  men, 
captured  on  the  22nd  of  June. 

Another  soldier  of  the  Nineteenth,  captured  on  the  same 
day,  writes: 

"The  first  man  I  met  on  the  inside  of  the  stockade  at 
Andersonville,  whom  I  knew,  was  our  Sergeant-Major,  W.  A. 
Wood.  He  looked  at  us  as  we  marched  into  the  prison,  and, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  said:  'My  God,  boys,  you  don't  know 
what  a  terrible  place  you  have  come  to/  You  remember  what 
a  clean,  neat  young  fellow  our  Sergeant-Major  was.  Well,  he 
looked  then  like  all  the  rest  of  us.  I  was  impressed  by  the 


210  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

expression  of  hopelessness  in  the  faces  of  nearly  all  of  the  pris 
oners." 

On  the  23rd  of  June  the  Regiment  moved  somewhat  to 
the  right,  where  there  was  sharp  picket  firing  in  the  afternoon, 
but  no  general  engagement.  Sergeant  Richard  H.  Spear,  of 
Company  F,  was  killed  in  the  afternoon  by  a  sharpshooter 
while  dividing  up  rations  for  the  company.  Sergeant  Spear 
was  a  young  man  of  education  and  promise  and  exceptionally 
brave  in  the  face  of  danger.  There  was  some  terrific  cannon 
ading  between  the  lines  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  and  by  noon 
the  Regiment  was  relieved.  On  Saturday,  June  25th,  we 
rested  all  day  in  the  hot  sand.  There  was  heavy  firing,  both 
artillery  and  infantry,  at  night  on  the  right.  It  was  a  very  hot 
day,  and  the  movement  of  the  troops  and  wagons  kept  the  air 
filled  with  clouds  of  dust.  The  Regiment,  together  with  the 
Brigade,  early  in  the  day  of  June  2yth,  moved  toward  the 
left  flank  of  the  army  and  formed  in  line  of  battle.  We  were 
sent  out  in  support  of  the  picket  line,  where  we  remained  until 
six  o'clock  the  next  afternoon,  when  we  were  relieved  and 
rejoined  the  Brigade.  On  the  29th  we  again  moved  to  the 
front  with  the  Brigade  and  relieved  a  portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps, 
occupying  the  breastworks  which  they  had  built.  Here  we 
remained  until  July  ist.  It  was  cloudy,  hot  and  dusty.  The 
Regiment  was  mustered  at  ten  o'clock  the  3Oth  of  June — the 
lists  being  made  on  old  slips  of  paper.  On  the  night  of  July  ist 
an  attempt  was  made  at  dress-parade.  It  was  a  parade,  but 
the  men  looked  like  tramps.  The  next  day  we  moved  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  right  and  formed  line  of  battle  in  support  of 
the  line  occupying  the  breastworks  there.  We  remained 
some  time  in  this  place.  The  only  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of 
July  consisted  in  throwing  a  few  shells  into  Petersburg.  It 
was  almost  impossible  to  obtain  water  suitable  for  drinking 
purposes.  On  the  5th  there  was  considerable  picket  firing,  and 
on  the  yth  heavy  cannonading  to  the  right.  July  8th  we  re 
ceived  the  joyful  news  of  the  destruction  of  the  "Alabama," 
the  Confederate  privateer,  and  the  somewhat  startling  news  of 
the  invasion  of  Maryland  and  the  threatening  of  Washington 
by  the  Confederate  General  Early,  who  had  quietly  withdrawn 


BATTLE   OF   JERUSALEM    PLANK    ROAD  21J 

from  the  intrenchments  at  Cold  Harbor  on  the  i3th  of  June  and 
started  northward  for  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  The  details  for 
work  on  the  fortifications  were  heavy  during  these  days.  The 
troops  of  our  Division  on  the  9th  of  July  moved  into  the  works 
in  the  front,  relieving  the  Sixth  Corps,  which  had  been  sum 
moned  to  take  steamers  for  Washington  to  beat  back  Early's 
troops  from  Maryland  soil. 

On  June  nth,  1864,  General  Burnside  wrote  to  General 
Meade,  complaining  that  one  William  Swinton,  a  correspondent 
of  the  New  York  Times,  had  written  to  his  paper  a  libel  upon  the 
Ninth  Corps  and  upon  himself.  He  requested  from  General 
Meade  the  privilege  of  having  Swinton  arrested  and  paraded 
through  the  camps  of  his  corps  with  a  placard  marked:  "  Libeler 
of  the  Press,"  and  expelled  from  the  lines  of  the  army.  This 
was  a  dose  of  medicine  that  had  been  administered  to  one 
Edward  Crapsey,  a  correspondent  of  the  Philadelphia  En 
quirer,  five  days  previously. 

Mr.  Swinton  was  a  scholarly  man  of  excellent  character, 
but  quite  free  in  his  criticism  of  the  generals  in  command  of 
the  troops  in  what  he  regarded  as  useless  slaughter  of  the  men. 
He  possessed  the  art  of  compressing  into  a  sentence  or  para 
graph  a  bit  of  characterization  that  would  long  cling  to  a  man 
through  weal  or  woe.  He  had  referred  to  Meade's  "excessive 
circumspection"  and  written  of  a  certain  battle:  '  Where,  oh 
where,  meanwhile,  was  Burnside!"  He  thus  incurred  the 
wrath  of  Burnside  and,  later,  the  hostility  of  General  Meade. 

On  July  6th,  1864,  Swinton,  together  with  a  correspondent 
of  the  New  York  Tribune,  was  ordered  to  leave  the  army,  the 
order  having  been  made  by  General  Meade,  at  the  direction  of 
General  Grant.  After  the  war,  Swinton  wrote  "The  Cam 
paigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac"  and  numerous  other  books, 
and  later  became  professor  of  belles  lettres  in  the  University  of 
California.  General  Grant,  in  his  "Memoirs,"  speaks  of  Mr. 
Swinton  as  having  "surreptitiously  followed  the  army."  In 
the  order  expelling  him,  however,  he  is  designated  as  a  "duly 
registered  correspondent." 

Mr.  Swinton  is,  concededly,  one  of  the  fairest  and  most  ac 
curate  historians  of  the  war.  In  speaking  of  Swinton's  History, 


2l8  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

General  Hancock  wrote,  after  the  war,  that  he  believed  "that 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been  fortunate  in  its  historian 
and  that  Swinton's  array  of  facts  will  not  hereafter  be  surpassed 
in  accuracy."  • 

After 'the  expulsion  from  the  army  of  Mr.  Crapsey  and  Mr. 
Swinton,  many  of  the  newspaper  correspondents  in  writing  of 
the  movements  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  would  not  make 
any  mention  of  General  Meade,  by  name,  nor  make  any  refer 
ence  to  him.  No  doubt  General  Meade  suffered  in  reputation 
from  the  disguised  hostility  of  many  Northern  papers.  His 
haughty,  disagreeable  manners  were,  no  doubt,  partly  respon 
sible  for  this  condition  of  things.  Early  in  the  campaign, 
May  13,  1864,  General  Grant  wrote  to  Secretary  Stanton  as 
follows;  "General  Meade  has  more  than  met  my  most  san 
guine  expectations.  He  and  Sherman  are  the  fittest  officers 
for  large  commands  I  have  ever  come  in  contact  with."  In 
the  summer  of  1885,  when  writing  his  Personal  Memoirs,  and 
on  his  death  bed,  General  Grant  placed  on  record  the  following 
estimate  of  General  Meade:  "He  was  an  officer  of  great  merit, 
with  drawbacks  to  his  usefulness  that  were  beyond  his  control. 
*  *  *  *  He  was  unfortunately  of  a  temper  that  would  get 
beyond  his  control,  at  times,  and  make  him  speak  to  officers 
of  high  rank  in  a  most  offensive  manner.  No  one  saw  this 
fault  more  plainly  than  he  himself  and  no  one  regretted  it 
more.  This  made  it  unpleasant  at  times,  even  in  battle,  for 
those  around  him  to  approach  him  even  with  information.  In 
spite  of  this  defect,  he  was  a  most  valuable  oificer  and  de 
serves  a  high  place  in  the  annals  of  his  country." 

•  Charles  A.  Dana,  in  writing  from  City  Point  to  Secretary 
Stanton,  under  date  of  July  yth,  1864,  made  the  following 
severe  criticism  of  General  Meade: 

"A  change  in  the  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  now  seems 
probable.  Grant  has  great  confidence  in  Meade,  and  is  much  attached 
to  him  personally,  but  the  most  universal  dislike  of  Meade  which  pre 
vails  among  the  officers  of  every  rank  who  come  in  contact  with  him, 
and  the  difficulty  of  doing  business  with  him  felt  by  every  one  except 
Grant  himself,  so  greatly  impair  his  capacities  for  usefulness  and  render 
success  under  his  command  so  doubtful  that  Grant  seems  to  be  coming 
to  the  conviction  that  he  must  be  relieved.  The  facts  in  the  matter 
have  come  very  slowly  to  my  knowledge,  and  it  was  not  until  yesterday 
that  I  became  certain  of  some  of  the  most  important.  I  have  long 


BATTLE   OF   JERUSALEM    PLANK    ROAD  2 19 

known  Meade  to  be  a  man  of  the  worst  possible  temper,  especially 
towards  his  subordinates.  I  do  not  think  he  has  a  friend  in  the  army. 
No  man,  no  matter  what  his  business  or  his  service,  approaches  him 
without  being  insulted  in  one  way  or  another,  and  his  own  staff  officers 
do  not  dare  to  speak  to  him,  unless  first  spoken  to,  for  fear  of  either 
sneers  or  curses.  The  latter,  however,  I  have  never  heard  him  indulge 
in  very  violently,  but  he  is  said  to  apply  them  often  without  occasion 
and  without  reason.  At  the  same  time,  as  far  as  I  am  able  to  ascertain, 
his  generals  have  lost  their  confidence  in  him  as  a  commander.  His 
order  for  the  last  series  of  assaults  upon  Petersburg,  in  which  he  lost 
10,000  men  without  gaining  any  decisive  advantage,  was  to  the  effect 
that  he  had  found  it  impracticable  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  corps 
commanders,  and  therefore  each  one  was  to  attack  on  his  own  account 
and  do  the  best  he  could  by  himself.  *  * 

For  instance,  I  know  that  General  Wright  has  said  to  a  confidential 
friend  that  all  of  Meade 's  attacks  have  been  made  without  brains  and 
without  generalship.  The  subject  came  to  pretty  full  discussion  at 
Grant's  headquarters  last  night  on  occasion  of  a  correspondence  be 
tween  Meade  and  Wilson  ***** 
This  started  the  conversation  in  which  Grant  expressed  himself  quite 
frankly  as  to  the  general  trouble  with  Meade  and  his  fear  that  it  would 
become  necessary  to  relieve  him.  In  such  event,  he  said,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  put  Hancock  in  command." 

Mr.  Dana  was  at  this  time  Assistant  Secretary  of  War 
and  was  with  the  army  for  the  purpose  of  communicating  con 
fidentially  with  the  President  and  Mr.  Stanton  respecting  the 
progress  and  outlook  of  the  campaign  being  prosecuted  by 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  While  the  statements  of  Mr.  Dana 
as  to  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  officers  of  the  army  toward 
General  Meade  are  doubtless  somewhat  exaggerated,  yet  they  re 
veal  somewhat  the  sentiments  of  General  Grant  and  other 
officers  high  in  command.  Mr.  Dana's  letter  is  inserted  here 
for  the  further  reason  that  it  shows  General  Grant's  high  esti 
mate  of  General  Hancock,  the  popular  commander  of  the  Second 
Corps.  Late  in  July,  General  Grant  addressed  the  following 
letter  to  President  Lincoln : 

"CiTY   POINT,   VA.,   July  25th,    1864. 

President  A.  Lincoln:  After  the  late  raid  into  Maryland  had  ex 
pended  itself,  seeing  the  necessity  of  having  the  four  departments  of 
the  Susquehanna,  the  Middle,  West  Virginia,  and  Washington  under 
one  head,  I  recommend  that  they  be  merged  into  one.  *  *  * 
It  would  suit  me  equally  well  to  call  the  four  departments  referred  to, 
a  military  division,  and  to  have  placed  in  command  of  it  General  Meade. 
In  this  case,  I  would  suggest  General  Hancock  for  the  command  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Gibbon  for  the  command  of  the 
Second  Corps. 

"Hoping  that  you  will  see  this  matter  in  the  light  I  do,  I  have  the 
honor  to  subscribe  myself,  etc., 

"U.    S.    GRANT,  ^Lieutenant-General." 


22O  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

It  is  evident  that  this  recommendation  did  not  appeal  very 
strongly  to  the  President,  because  he  never  acted  upon  it. 
President  Lincoln  was  wiser  than  General  Grant. 


DEEP   BOTTOM   AND   STRAWBERRY    PLAINS  221 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BATTLES  OF  DEEP  BOTTOM  AND  STRAWBERRY 
PLAINS. 

On  July  9th,  Captain  Spaulding,  who  was  in  command  of 
the  Regiment,  was  detailed  for  court-martial  duty  at  the 
Second  Corps  headquarters.  He  records  in  his  diary  that  on 
the  trial  of  a  Commissary  of  subsistence,  General  Barlow  ap 
peared  as  a  witness  for  the  prosecution  and  General  Miles  for 
the  defense.  On  July  nth,  Captain  Spaulding  states  that 
Barlow  appeared  as  counsel  for  another  officer,  who  was  being 
tried  by  this  august  court,  and  made  a  most  eloquent  plea  in 
his  behalf. 

Just  before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  I2th,  the  Corps 
withdrew  from  the  trenches  and  marched  to  the  left  and  rear 
for  nearly  a  mile  and  closed  en  masse,  near  the  Williams  house. 
It  was  terribly  hot.  We  remained  there  all  day  and  until  the 
next  morning,  when  the  Brigade  marched  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  to  the  right  and  formed  in  two  lines.  Here  we  laid  out  a 
regular  camp  and  policed  the  grounds.  Stumps  were  cut  down 
and  the  company  streets  leveled.  The  men  wondered  whether 
this  laborious  task  was  imposed  upon  them  for  the  purpose  of 
preparing  a  camp  in  which  to  stop  some  time  and  rest,  or 
whether  it  was  done  simply  to  keep  them  at  work  and  prevent 
them  from  resting.  When  we  moved,  a  couple  of  days  later, 
the  opinion  seemed  to  be  unanimous  that  it  was  done  for  the 
latter  purpose. 

On  the  night  of  the  I5th  there  was  a  light  rain,  which  cooled 
the  air  after  a  long  hot  spell.  Constant  complaint  was  made  by 
the  men  that  they  were  unable  to  obtain  decent  drinking  water. 
On  Sunday,  July  I7th,  religious  services  were  held  in  the  even 
ing.  On  this  day  a  First  Lieutenant's  commission  in  Company 
A,  was  received  by  Second  Lieutenant  Henry  Sewell.  Captain 


222  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Parsons,  who  was  wounded  in  the  Wilderness,  returned  to  us  on 
July  20th  and  reported  for  duty.  The  Regiment  moved  fre 
quently,  first  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left,  working  on  an 
unfinished  fort  here  and  building  breastworks  "there,  until  the 
26th.  Captain  Whitehouse  returned  for  duty  with  his  Com 
pany  on  July  23rd,  having  been  wounded  on  the  6th  of  May. 

The  Regiment,  with  the  Corps,  started  late  Tuesday  after 
noon,  July  26th,  and  marched  all  night  toward  the  right.  The 
head  of  the  column  arrived  at  the  pontoon  bridge  over  the 
Appomattox  at  Point  of  Rocks  at  ten  o'clock  at  night.  We 
crossed  the  river  at  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  July  2jth  and 
proceeded  toward  Deep  Bottom,  leaving  Bermuda  Hundred  on 
the  right.  Barlow's  Division,  which  was  at  the  head  of  the 
column,  reached  the  lower  of  the  two  pontoon  bridges  at  the 
northern  part  of  Jones'  Neck  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing.  %  This  territory  over  which  we  marched  between  the  Ap 
pomattox  and  James  rivers  was  ground  occupied  by  Butler's 
Army.  General  Grant  said  that,  by  reason  of  its  position, 
Butler's  command  was  as  useless  for  offensive  operations  "as 
if  it  had  been  in  a  bottle,  strongly  corked." 

There  were  two  bridges  across  the  James  river,  one  above 
and  one  below  Bailey's  creek.  This  creek  is  five  or  six  miles 
long,  runs  due  south  and  empties  into  the  James.  The  Second 
Corps  crossed  the  lower  bridge  at  six  or  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  The  pontoon  bridge  over  which  we  crossed  was 
thickly  covered  with  hay,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  hearing 
the  tramp  of  the  horses'  feet  and  the  wheels  of  the  artillery. 

Captain  Spaulding,  in  his  official  report  as  the  command 
ing  officer  of  the  Regiment,  states  that,  after  crossing  the  river 
early  on  the  morning  of  July  27th,"  the  Regiment  was  soon  after 
deployed  as  skirmishers  and,  advancing  nearly  a  mile  through 
the  woods,  met  and  engaged  the  enemy.  Was  relieved  and 
rejoined  the  Brigade  after  dark.  The  two  following  days  the 
Regiment  did  not  meet  the  enemy,  but  was  employed  in  build 
ing  breastworks  and  throwing  up  earthworks."  Our  position 
on  the  2yth  was  on  the  left  of  the  Corps  line,  with  Barlow  on  our 
immediate  right.  In  the  morning  of  July  28th  our  Division 
was  relieved  by  a  portion  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  and  marched 


DEEP    BOTTOM    AND    STRAWBERRY    PLAINS  223 

to  the  right,  in  support  of  General  Sheridan.  Our  left  was  then 
on  the  New  Market  and  Long  Bridge  road.  Sheridan  drove  the 
enemy  from  his  front,  so  we  had  no  serious  work  to  do. 

During  the  2yth  and  28th  of  July,  the  gunboat  "Mendota" 
did  very  effective  work,  firing  over  our  lines  fifteen-inch  shells. 
These  projectiles  generally  landed  where  they  were  most  needed 
and  kept  the  "Johnnies"  sidestepping  in  a  very  lively  manner. 

Our  only  loss  in  the  engagement  at  Deep  Bottom,  July 
25th  to  28th,  was  Lewis  Ordway,  (4th  Me.),  of  Company  A, 
who  was  mortally  wounded  and  died  July  28th. 

This  is  sometimes  called  the  First  Deep  Bottom  engage 
ment,  inasmuch  as  the  battle  of  Strawberry  Plains,  fought  the 
middle  of  August,  1864,  is  often  called  the  Battle  of  Deep 
Bottom. 

By  this  expedition  to  the  north  side  of  the  James,  Grant 
hoped  that  Hancock  and  Sheridan  might  together  break 
through  the  enemy's  lines  and  attempt  to  capture  Richmond  by 
a  sudden  dash.  If  we  failed  in  that,  it  was  believed  that  the 
demonstration  would  draw  a  large  force  from  Lee's  army  to  the 
north  side  of  the  James,  and  thus  prepare  the  way  for  exploding 
Burnside's  mine  in  front  of  Petersburg.  In  one  way  the  move 
ment  was  a  success.  More  than  one-half  of  the  Confederate 
army  was  drawn  to  the  north  side  of  the  James  river.  General 
Grant  rode  along  our  line  on  the  afternoon  of  July  2yth.  The 
First  Division  captured  a  few  prisoners  and  four  splendid 
twenty-pound  Parrotts,  with  their  caissons.  This  was  regarded 
as  a  pretty  good  exchange  for  McKnight's  guns,  captured  from 
us  on  the  Jerusalem  plank  road.  The  loss  of  the  Second  Corps 
on  this  expedition  was  some  less  than  two  hundred,  of  which 
forty-five  occurred  in  our  Division. 

We  recrossed  the  James  on  the  night  of  July  29th  and 
marched  all  night,  arriving  in  the  rear  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps, 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  early  in  the  morning  of  July  3Oth.  The 
Nineteenth  saw  from  a  distance  the  explosion  of  the  "Burnside 
mine."  We  could  see  the  dirt,  smoke  and  debris  in  the  air  and 
hear  the  crashing  roar  of  the  artillery.  That  was  all.  A  kind 
Providence  kept  the  Second  Corps  out  of  this  day's  disgrace. 
At  dark  we  moved  back  to  the  same  position  we  had  occupied 


224  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

before  starting  for  Deep  Bottom.  The  Regiment  remained 
here  until  Friday,  August  i2th,  heavy  details  being  made  daily 
for  fatigue  duty. 

August  4th  was  National  Fast  day,  and  .no  unnecessary 
work  was  done  on  that  day.  On  Sunday,  August  7th,  the 
Nineteenth  attended  religious  services  at  Division  headquarters. 
A  single  regiment  of  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  tired,  dirty 
soldiers  would  not  inspire  much  enthusiasm  for  a  Chaplain's 
sermon,  so  it  came  about  that  religious  services  were  frequently 
held  at  Division  or  Brigade  headquarters. 

There  is  not  much  pleasure  in  describing  our  second  ex 
pedition  to  Deep  Bottom.  It  is  now  conceded  by  all  that  it 
was  planned  through  a  misconception  of  the  facts  and  executed 
without  adequate  preparation.  As  one  of  the  men  expressed 
it,  we  "lit  out"  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  August  i2th 
and,  after  a  hard  march,  our  Corps  arrived  at  City  Point  at  ten 
o'clock,  and  bivouacked  for  the  night.  At  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  August  1 3th,  all  of  the  infantry  of  the  Second  Corps, 
with  the  intention  of  deceiving  the  enemy,  embarked  on  board 
of  transports.  The  idea  was  to  encourage  the  belief  that  we 
were  going  to  Washington,  and  that  was  what  General  Grant 
wanted  the  "Johnnies"  to  think.  The  "Daniel  Webster," 
"Prometheus,"  "Columbia,"  and  "City  of  Albany"  were  among 
the  steamers  on  which  we  embarked.  Having  gone  down  the 
James  river  about  five  miles,  we  then,  at  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
turned  and  steamed  up  again  to  Deep  Bottom.  It  was  a 
terribly  hot  night  and  the  mosquitoes  were  distressingly  thick. 
The  men  of  the  Regiment  who  were  present  in  this  expedition 
may  forget  battles  and  the  details  of  campaigns,  but  they  will 
always  remember  the  experiences  of  this  night  and  the  scorch 
ing  heat  of  the  next  day.  The  men  could  neither  sleep  nor  rest. 
The  transports  arrived  at  Jones'  Neck  near  Deep  Bottom, 
just  before  daylight  on  Sunday  morning,  the  i4th  of  August. 

Engineers  or  quartermasters  or  somebody  else  had  for 
gotten  that  it  would  not  be  the  proper  thing  for  the  soldiers  to 
jump  into  the  James  river  and  swim  ashore.  The  tide  had 
gone  out,  the  water  was  low  and  one  of  the  larger  steamers 
grounded.  Many  of  the  transports  were  ill-adapted  to  this  use. 


DEEP    BOTTOM    AND    STRAWBERRY    PLAINS  225 

A  few  light-draught  river  steamers  would  have  been  of  great 
service  at  this  time.  No  wharf  or  platform  had  been  construct 
ed  upon  which  the  troops  could  land.  One  of  the  smaller 
steamers  was  run  close  to  the  shore  and  used  as  a  sort  of  a 
bridge  over  which  some  of  the  soldiers  from  the  larger  steamers 
landed.  Some  time  from  six  to  seven  o'clock,  our  Division, 
now  under  command  of  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Smyth,  went  ashore 
in  sight  of  the  enemy's  scouts,  on  the  other  side  of  Jones'  Neck 
toward  Chapin's  Bluff.  Well,  the  men  felt  a  good  deal  like 
boys  who  had  stolen  around  and  come  up  to  the  old  farmer's 
melon  patch  from  the  rear  and  saw  the  farmer,  with  a  bulldog 
and  shotgun,  calmly  looking  over  the  fence  into  their  faces  and 
wearing  a  smile  that  was  not  reassuring. 

General  Birney,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Tenth  Corps, 
was  operating  with  his  troops  on  the  west  side  of  Bailey's  creek. 
He  broke  through  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  line  and  captured 
four  guns  and  some  prisoners.  He  crossed  to  the  east  side  cf 
the  creek  on  the  i5th  and  joined  Hancock's  forces. 

After  a  short  stop  at  the  landing  place,  we  marched  across 
Strawberry  Plains  toward  the  New  Market  road.  The  old 
Pottery,  where  the  Regiment  was  a  little  more  than  two  weeks 
before,  was  on  our  left.  Here  the  Regiment  formed  in  line  of 
battle  and  remained  until  afternoon.  The  heat  was  simply 
suffocating.  For  forty  successive  days  no  rain  of  any  account 
had  fallen.  Springs  had  dried  up  and  the  land  was  parched  and 
dry.  Clouds  of  dust  were  raised  by  the  tramping  soldiers,  and 
everything  partook  of  the  color  of  the  soil.  As  the  Nineteenth 
pushed  out  toward  the  New  Market  road,  men  dead  and  men 
dying  from  sunstroke  were  lying  by  the  sides  of  the  road. 

A  little  after  noon  our  Brigade  was  sent  to  help  out  General 
Barlow.  The  Regiments  of  the  Brigade  were  massed  in  a  corn 
field,  near  an  old  roadway  that  led  into  the  New  Market  road. 
A  portion  of  Barlow's  Division  had  been  ordered  forward  and 
had  been  driven  back  by  the  enemy.  General  Barlow  had 
command  now  of  both  the  First  and  Second  Divisions.  After 
he  was  unable  to  accomplish  anything  with  his  own  Division,  he 
ordered  up  our  Brigade,  now  commanded  by  Colonel  Macy,  of 
the  Twentieth  Massachusetts,  to  make  an  assault  on  the  enemy's 


226  THE  NINETEENTH  MEINA  GEGIMENT 

line.  This  attack  upon  the  enemy  was  near  Fussell's  Mill. 
General  Hancock  in  his  report  states  that  he  expected  Barlow 
to  attack  with  the  greater  portion  of  his  two  Divisions.  Instead 
of  doing  that,  and  after  his  own  Division  had  failed  him,  he 
ordered  our  small  Brigade  to  attack  the  enemy's  line.  The 
following  description  of  this  charge  is  thus  recorded  in  Captain 
Spaulding's  diary: 

"In  making  this  charge,  it  appeared  that  our  losses  were  fearful. 
There  was  a  deep  gulch  between  the  point  of  starting  and  the  enemy's 
line.  The  hills  on  each  side  were  very  steep.  These  hills  were  covered 
with  running  blackberry  vines,  which  tripped  the  men  in  running  down 
hill,  causing  very  many  of  them  to  fall.  At  that  time  it  was  thought 
that  all  of  these  men  were  killed  or  wounded  by  the  fire  of  the  enemy. 
At  the  bottom,  two  ditches  or  streams  ran  along,  about  four  rods  apart, 
The  Nineteenth  Maine  and  First  Minnesota  crossed  the  first  and  advanced 
to  the  second,  which  was  right  under  the  enemy's  works.  We  saw 
nothing  all  day  long  of  any  general  or  sta^  officers.  After  dark,  I 
directed  Captain  Parsons  to  go  back  to  the  other  ditch  and  down  that 
to  the  left  to  find  the  Brigade.  He  did  so  and  went  on  until  he  reached 
hearing  distance  of  the  enemy,  and  found  that  the  Brigade  had  retired 
without  rendering  us  notice  or  orders.  The  Nineteenth  Maine  and  First 
Minnesota  then  retired  to  within  the  new  lines,  and  late  at  night  found 
the  Brigade." 

Captain  Spaulding,  in  his  official  report  of  the  Battle  of 
Strawberry  Plains,  commends  "the  bravery  and  noble  daring 
of  Sergeant  Clarendon  W.  Gray,  Color-Sergeant  of  the  Regi 
ment."  Sergeant  Gray  was  from  Stockton,  entering  the  service 
in  1 86 1,  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  Company  I,  Fourth 
Maine  Regiment,  and  two  months  before  this  battle  was  trans 
ferred  to  the  Nineteenth.  He  was  promoted,  December  2nd, 
1864,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  B. 

Captain  Parsons,  in  "Maine  at  Gettysburg,"  thus  describes 
the  movements  of  the  Regiment  during  this  expedition: 

f*  ''Toward  night  of  the  13th  it  went  on  board  transports,  which 
dropped  down  the  river  a  few  miles  and  lay  at  anchor  until  in  the  night, 
whenthey  turned  and  steamed  up  river  to  Strawberry  Plains,  where  early 
in  the  morning  of  the  14th  it  disembarked  and  marched  to  Deep  Bottom; 
after  considerable  delay  it.  formed  line  of  battle  along  Bailey's  creek  at 
right  angles  to  the  river,  the  Tenth  Corps  on  the  left.  The  Nineteenth 
formed  the  extreme  right  of  the  Second  Corps,  reaching  Fassett's 
mill  with  Gregg's  Cavalry  Division  on  the  right  flank.  General 
Barlow,  who  was  to  make  the  attack,  as  he  was  desirous  of  winning 
promotion,  had  been  placed  in  command  of  the  First  and  Second 
Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps.  He  had  succeeded  in  getting  only  the 
extreme  right  Brigade  in  position  when  the  attack  was  ordered.  The 
line  was  formed  just  back  of  the  crest  of  a  ridge;  in  front  was  a  deep 


DEEP    BOTTOM   AND   STRAWBERRY    PLAINS  22J 

ravine,  through  which  flowed  the  creek  below  the  mill.  The  enemy 
was  posted  in  rifle-pits  on  the  opposite  crest.  Colonel  Macy,  who  com 
manded  the  Brigade,  remaining  on  his  horse,  on  ground  where  no  officer 
could  go  mounted,  was  soon  injured  by  the  stumbling  of  his  horse  and 
taken  to  the  rear.  The  command  to  charge  having  been  given,  the 
Brigade  advanced  double-quick;  the  left  soon  entered  a  heavy  timber, 
the  right  moving  over  the  crest,  down  the  open  bluff,  across  the  creek, 
where  it  was  obstructed  by  a  thicket  of  underbrush  so  dense  that  a 
single  man  could  not  penetrate  without  difficulty.  The  only  opening 
through  this  thicket  was  a  narrow  cart-road.  The  Regiment  halted 
immediately  under  the  rifle-pits  of  the  enemy,  where  it  remained  until 
after  dark  not  receiving  any  communication  from  general  or  staff- 
officers.  Finding  itself  deserted  by  the  troops  on  its  lett,  without  orders 
it  withdrew  by  the  right  flank  across  the  mill-dam  and  joined  its  Divi 
sion  in  the  rear.  On  the  18th  it  was  under  a  severe  artillery  fire  when 
two  attacks  were  made^by  the  enemy  on  jour  line."  .  ,  ,  ,  j  J^j  J 

General  Barlow,  who  commanded  the  right  portion  of  the 
line,  thus  complains  of  the  soldiers  : 

"None  of  the  troops  that  came  under  my  observation  that 
day  behaved  with  their  usual  vigor  and  gallantry  under  fire." 

He  distinctly  states  in  his  report  that  his  own  Division 
would  not  do  his  bidding,  and  then  adds: 

"Therefore,  I  ordered  the  First  Brigade  of  the  Second 
Division  to  advance  upon  the  works." 

In  this  charge,  Major  Patten,  commanding  the  Twentieth 
Massachusetts,  was  mortally  wounded.  The  Regiment  on 
subsequent  days  was  not  engaged,  but  was  under  severe  artil 
lery  fire. 

A  Brigade  of  cavalry,  including  the  First  Maine,  under 
command  of  General  Irvin  Gregg,  did  some  brilliant  work  on 
August  1 6th  on  our  right.  They  charged  in  column  of  fours 
across  the  creek,  capturing  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  and 
chased  the  "Johnnies"  up  the  Charles  City  road  to  White 
Tavern,  about  six  miles  from  Richmond.  The  Confederate 
General  Chambliss  was  killed  in  this  engagement,  and  his 
body  was  buried  by  our  men.  Under  a  flag  of  truce,  the 
enemy  subsequently  carried  the  body  of  General  Chambliss 
within  its  own  lines. 

While  waiting  in  this  locality,  some  of  the  boys  had  a 
genuine  feast  on  apples  and  green  corn. 

Colonel  Chaplin,  of  the  First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery,  was 
mortally  wounded  on  the  picket  line  on  the  iyth  of  August — 
probably  shot  by  a  Confederate  sharpshooter.  General  De 


228  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Trobriand,  his  Brigade  commander,  subsequently  stated  that 
Colonel  Chaplin  was  struck  "a  mortal  blow"  on  the  i8th  of 
June,  at  Petersburg,  by  the  useless  "butchery"  of  his  Regiment. 
When  Colonel  Chaplin  saw  his  men  "sacrificed  Under  his  eyes 
by  a  fantasy  as  deadly  as  useless,  a  melancholy  discouragement 
took  hold  of  him."  He  was  a  brave  officer  and  greatly  loved 
by  his  Regiment. 

During  the  night  of  the  i6th,  General  Grant  ordered  a 
fleet  of  steamers  from  City  Point  to  Deep  Bottom.  These 
steamers  returned  to  City  Point  before  daylight  on  the  following 
morning.  The  object  of  this  display  was  to  convey  the  im 
pression  to  the  enemy  that  the  Union  force  was  withdrawing 
and  induce  him  to  come  out  of  his  works  and  attack.  The  ruse 
was  not  successful.  The  troops  opposed  to  the  Union  forces 
were  the  Divisions  of  Field,  Wilcox  and  Mahone,  with  Hamp 
ton's  and  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  Cavalry  Divisions.  At  the  same 
time  that  General  Hancock  was  operating  north  of  the  James, 
General  Warren  was  pushing  for  the  right  flank  of  the  Confed 
erate  army  on  the  Weldon  railroad.  These  movements  kept 
General  Lee  guessing  as  to  where  the  next  attempt  would  be 
made  on  his  widely  extended  lines. 

At  dark  on  August  2oth,  we  started  back  across  the  James, 
our  Division  leading.  We  crossed  the  upper  pontoon  bridge 
and  moved  on  toward  Petersburg. 

The  loss  of  the  Second  Corps  in  this  expedition  was  report 
ed  as  915  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  This  engagement  is 
sometimes  called  the  ".Battle  of  Strawberry  Plains,"  and 
sometimes  "Deep  Bottom."  Strawberry  Plains  covers  quite 
an  extent  of  territory  somewhat  nearer  the  James  than  the 
place  where  the  severest  fighting  had  occurred.  It  was  nearer 
the  battlefield,  however,  than  Deep  Bottom.  Shortly  before 
the  close  of  the  war,  General  Meade  issued  General  Order  No.  10, 
from  headquarters,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  prescribing  the 
battles  each  regiment  would  be  entitled  to  place  upon  its  flags. 
Among  the  names  of  the  battles  in  which  it  had  "borne  a  meri 
torious  part,"  the  Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers  was  ordered  to 
inscribe  upon  the  colors  of  the  Regiment  the  battle  of  "Straw 
berry  Plains."  The  last  engagement  described  in  this  narrative 


DEEP    BOTTOM    AND    STRAWBERRY    PLAINS  229 

is  the  only  battle  that  can  properly  be  designated  by  that  name. 

This  engagement  at  Strawberry  Plains  was  the  last  in 
which  General  D.  B.  Birney  figured.  He  entered  the  service 
in  April,  1861,  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Third 
Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  was  promoted  through  the 
successive  grades,  and  became  a  Major-General  before 
the  Battle  of  Gettysburg.  In  the  Battle  of  Strawberry 
Plains,  he  was  in  command  of  the  Tenth  Corps,  to  which 
position  he  was  assigned  on  the  23rd  of  July.  Gen 
eral  Birney  started  out  in  the  beginning  of  the  Wil 
derness  campaign  as  commander  of  the  Third  Division, 
Second  Army  Corps.  Once  or  twice  he  had  been  temporarily 
in  command  of  the  Second  Corps.  He  was  regarded  as  an  able 
and  successful  Division  commander.  Brigadier-General  Wil 
liam  Birney,  a  brother  of  David  B.,  commanded  a  Brigade  of 
colored  troops  in  the  Tenth  Corps.  In  connection  with  General 
Terry,  he  had  advanced  his  Brigade  against  the  enemy's  works 
above  Russell's  mill  and  carried  them,  but  the  troops  were  un 
able  to  hold  them  for  any  great  length  of  time. 

These  brothers  were  born  in  Alabama  and  were  sons  of 
James  G.  Birney,  who  was  also  a  Southern  man  by  birth,  but 
who  was  driven  out  of  the  South  because  of  his  anti-slavery 
views.  As  a  candidate  of  the  Liberal  party,  James  G.  Birney 
ran  for  President  in  1840  and  1844.  On  October  loth,  1864, 
General  D.  B.  Birney,  broken  in  health  by  reason  of  the  ex 
posure  and  hardships  of  the  campaign,  reluctantly  asked  for  a 
leave  of  absence  from  the  army.  He  went  to  his  home  in 
Philadelphia,  where  he  died  October  i8th,  1864.  His  brother, 
William  Birney,  lived  in  the  city  of  Washington  after  the  war, 
where  he  was  honored  by  the  Government  in  being  appointed 
to  important  official  positions,  and  where  he  recently  died. 

CASUALTIES  OF  THE  REGIMENT  IN  THE  BATTLE  OF  STRAW 
BERRY  PLAINS. 
August  14th  to  18th,  1864. 

Company  A . 
Llewellyn  Lincoln,  (4th  Me.),  wounded,  August  14th. 

Company  B. 
Corporal  Samuel  N.  Robertson,  wounded,  August  14th. 

Company  D, 
Jeremiah  M.  Cromwell,  wounded,  August  14th. 


230  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Company  F . 

Thomas  A.   Baker,   wounded  and  prisoner,  August  14th;     Fred 
erick  Culombe,  (4th  Me.),  wounded  and  prisoner,  August  14th. 

Company  G. 

Henry  C.  Davis,    (4th  Me.),    mortally  wounded  and  died.  August 
14th. 

Company  K. 

Sergeant   Thomas   M.    Hagan,    wounded,    August    14th;  Richard 
M.  Blaisdell,  wounded,  August  14th. 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BUOTON  ROAD  231 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


BATTLES  OF  REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD, 

The  Regiment  did  not  arrive  in  the  vicinity  of  Petersburg 
from  the  north  side  of  the  James,  until  Sunday  morning,  the 
2ist  of  August.  It  was  a  tiresome  and  exhausting  march. 
Mott's  Division,  at  this  time,  was  not  with  the  other  two 
Divisions  of  the  Corps,  but  was  holding  a  portion  of  the  in- 
trenchments  around  Petersburg,  west  of  the  Jerusalem  road, 
Scarcely  had  the  jaded  men  of  the  Regiment  hobbled  back  to 
Petersburg  and  thrown  themselves  upon  the  ground  to  rest, 
when  the  First  and  Second  Divisions,  under  command  of  Miles 
and  Gibbon,  respectively,  were  ordered  to  move  beyond  the  left 
of  the  army  to  destroy  a  portion  of  the  Weldon  railroad.  The 
boys  felt  that  they  were  entitled  to  rest  long  enough 
to  get  their  breath.  They  were  dead  tired.  The  ex 
pressions  used  by  the  men,  when  ordered  to  "  fall  in," 
were  not  such  as  one  hears  in  polite  society,  and 
the  writer  will  not  shock  the  reader  by  putting  them  in  print. 
At  noon  the  two  Divisions  filed  into  the  road  and  marched 
southwest  several  miles  and  began  throwing  up  breastworks 
near  the  Strong  house.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
Hancock  conducted  the  Divisions  across  the  country  in  a  wester 
ly  direction,  and  massed  the  troops  in  the  rear  of  the  Fifth  Corps, 
south  of  Dr.  Gurley's  residence.  It  had  rained  all  day  and  all 
night  on  the  i9th  of  August,  and  it  rained  nearly  all  night  on 
the  2 1 st.  The  country  through  which  the  troops  marched  was 
very  wet.  The  Regiment  passed  the  night  in  the  mud  and 
rain.  The  men  were  tired  enough  to  sleep  anywhere,  pro 
vided  they  could  keep  their  heads  above  water.  On  Monday, 
the  22nd,  the  Nineteenth,  with  the  Second  Division,  was  per 
mitted  to  rest  during  the  day. 

Since  August  i8th,  General  Warren,  with  two  Divisions  of 
the  Fifth  Corps,  and  later  reinforced  by  two  Divisions  of  the 


232  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Ninth,  had  been  manoeuvering  and  fighting  in  this  locality. 
Warren  had  done  excellent  work  and  had  taken  possession  of 
the  Weldon  railroad  near  Globe  Tavern  and  destroyed  the  road 
for  some  distance,  both  north  and  south.  He*was  directed  to 
hold  the  ground  he  had  gained  at  all  hazards.  Many  of  the 
same  Confederate  troops  that  had  opposed  Warren  here,  later 
confronted  Hancock  at  Reams'  Station. 

The  First  Division  of  our  Corps,  under  command  of  General 
Miles,  was  ordered,  on  the  afternoon  of  August  22nd,  to  move 
south  on  the  Weldon  railroad  about  two  miles  to  the  Perkins 
house,  destroying  the  railroad  as  the  Division  advanced.  The 
next  day  the  Division  pushed  on  and  destroyed  the  railroad  to 
within  one  mile  of  Reams'  Station.  General  Barlow  returned 
from  the  hospital  during  the  day  and  resumed  command  of  the 
Division,  which,  by  reason  of  his  illness  and  his  old  wounds, 
he  only  retained  one  day. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  August  23rd,  the  Nineteenth 
marched  to  the  left  several  miles  with  the  Second  Division, 
following  the  general  direction  of  the  First  Division.  The 
Regiment  was  routed  out  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
August  24th  and  marched  to  Reams'  Station,  reaching  that 
place  a  little  after  sunrise.  The  First  Division  had  destroyed 
the  railroad  from  Globe  Tavern  nearly  to  Reams'.  The  two 
Divisions  were  united  at  this  place.  The  station  house  had 
been  burned,  but  there  was  an  old  church  and  a  few  scattering 
houses  not  far  from  the  place  where  the  station  had  stood.  The 
country  was  flat  and  generally  covered  with  woods.  Two 
country  roads  intersect  the  railroad  at  this  point,  one  leading  to 
the  Jerusalem  plank  road  on  the  east  and  the  Dinwiddie  stage 
road,  running  from  the  railroad  westerly  to  the  Vaughn  road  and 
thence  to  Dinwiddie  Court  House.  Then  there  was  the  Halifax 
road,  parallel  to  the  railroad  and  running  north  to  Petersburg. 

A  statement  of  distances  may  aid  the  reader  in  under 
standing  the  movements  of  the  troops  during  the  battle.  The 
Jerusalem  plank  road  is  less  than  four  miles  east  of  Reams' 
Station.  The  Globe  Tavern,  where  Warren  had  his  headquar 
ters,  was  four  miles  south  of  Petersburg  and  between  four  and 
five  miles  north  of  Reams'  Station.  The  Weldon  railroad  runs 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD  233 

directly  south  from  Petersburg.     During  the  25th  of  August, 
General  Meade  was  at  Warren's  headquarters. 

The  two  small  Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  were  under 
command  of  Hancock,  and  in  the  battle  the  First  Division  was 
commanded  by  Miles  and  the  Second  Division  by  Gibbon. 
There  were  three  small  Brigades  in  each  Division.  The  First 
Brigade  of  the  First  Division  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
James  C.  Lynch.  Colonel  Crandall  commanded  the  con 
solidated  Brigade,  and  the  Fourth  Brigade  was  commanded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  K.  O.  Broady.  Upon  Broady's  being 
wounded,  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  Glenny  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  Brigade.  In  the  Second  Division,  the 
First  Brigade,  to  which  the  Nineteenth  belonged,  was  com 
manded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rugg,  of  the  Fifty-ninth  New 
York.  The  Second  Brigade  was  commanded  by  Colonel 
Mathew  Murphy,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-second  New  York, 
and  the  Third  Brigade  by  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Smyth,  of  the 
First  Delaware  Volunteers. 

There  were  at  Reams'  Station  the  remains  of  some  earth 
works  which  had  been  thrown  up,  either  by  the  cavalry  or  the 
Sixth  Corps,  when  a  raid  had  been  made  through  this  region 
some  weeks  before.  These  poorly  constructed  intrenchments 
were  formed  something  like  three  sides  of  a  rectangle,  with  the 
shortest  side  or  end  of  the  rectangle  facing  west  and  one  of  the 
longer  sides  facing  north  and  the  other  south.  The  angle  at 
the  southwest  corner  was  slightly  acute  and  at  the  northeast 
corner  the  angle  was  somewhat  obtuse.  The  intrenchments 
facing  west  were  seven  hundred  yards  long  and  those  facing 
north  and  south  were  each  from  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand 
yards  in  length.  The  side  without  intrenchments  of  any  kind 
faced  the  Jerusalem  plank  road.  An  old  church  stood  inside 
these  works.  The  line  of  works  facing  west  were  a  few  yards 
west  of  and  parallel  with  the  railroad.  The  railroad,  within 
the  intrenchments,  for  a  portion  of  the  distance  was  in  a  cut 
and  for  a  part  of  the  distance  above  grade.  The  Halifax  road 
ran  parallel  with  and  east  of  the  railroad.  Brown's  Rhode 
Island  Battery  and  Sleeper's  Massachusetts  Battery  were  within 


234  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

the  intrenchments,  west  of  the  railroad,  during  the  engagement, 
and  were  both  captured  by  the  enemy. 

About  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  August  25th,  the 
Regiment  started  south  from  Reams'  Statiort,  moving  down 
the  railroad  with  the  other  Regiments  of  the  Brigade  and  de 
stroying  the  railroad  as  the  men  advanced.  Smyth's  Third 
Brigade  had  the  advance.  The  Regiment  found  an  opportunity 
during  the  forenoon,  while  resting  in  a  cornfield,  to  feast  on 
green  corn  and  sweet  potatoes.  If  the  men  had  known  what 
was  in  store  for  them  before  the  sun  went  down,  they  would 
not  have  had  such  good  appetites.  The  Regiment  had  gone 
hardly  two  miles  south  of  Reams'  Station,  when  sharp  firing 
began  in  front  and  to  the  right  of  the  line,  in  the  direction  of 
Rowanty  creek.  The  railroad  had  been  destroyed  to  the 
Malone's  bridge  road,  a  little  over  two  miles  south  of  Reams', 
and  it  was  at  this  point  that  Hampton's  Confederate  Cavalry 
was  encountered. 

The  Regiments  of  Smyth's  Brigade  were  at  once  deployed 
as  skirmishers  on  the  right  of  the  railroad,  and  the  Nineteenth 
Maine,  with  some  of  the  other  regiments  of  the  Brigade,  formed 
in  line  of  battle  on  the  east  side  and  nearly  at  right  angles  with 
the  railroad.  The  Seventh  Michigan  and  Fifty-ninth  New 
York  were  advanced  as  skirmishers.  About  noon  the  troops 
were  ordered  to  fall  back  to  the  station.  Now  let  Captain 
Spaulding,  who  commanded  the  Regiment,  describe  the  battle. 
The  following  is  his  official  report: 

"Headquarters   Nineteenth   Maine  Volunteers,       1 

August  30th,  1864.  / 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  this  Regiment  reached 
Reams'  Station  on  the  morning  of  the  24th  instant  and  was  engaged 
in  the  forenoon  of  this  day  in  destroying  the  railroad. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  25th  instant,  the  Regiment  advanced 
with  the  Brigade  down  the  railroad  about  one  mile  from  the  station 
and  formed  on  the  east  side  and  nearly  at  right  angles  with  the  railroad. 
In  the  afternoon  we  marched  back  and  lay  in  support  of  the  First  Divi 
sion  during  the  first  two  attacks  of  the  enemy  upon  that  line.  The 
Regiment,  together  with  the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  was  then 
marched  to  the  left  and  took  position,  making  connection  between  the 
Second  and  Third  Brigades,  the  part  of  the  line  occupied  by  those  Regi 
ments  running  at  nearly  right  angles  with  the  railroad.  It  was  here 
exposed  to  the  most  terrific  enfilading  fire  of  artillery.  It  participated 
in  the  charge  led  by  Colonel  Smyth  upon  the  enemy  that  occupied  the 
works  taken  from  the  First  Division.  The  charge  proving  unsuccessful 


REAMS     STATION    AND    BOYDTON    ROAD  235 

the  Regiment  fell  back  to  the  works  it  had  left  and  formed  line  of 
battle  upon  the  front  side  of  the  works,  facine  the  enemy,  who  were 
now  in  the  rear  of  this  line.  While  in  this  position  the  enemy  advanced 
up  near  our  old  front  and  both  flanks,  when  the  Regiment  again  changed 
front  and  engaged  the  enemy.  It  held  its  position  here  until  the 
troops  fell  back  upon  its  right  and  left,  when  it  was  obliged  to  fall  back 
to  the  woods,  where  it  again  formed  line  and  remained  until  about  ten 
p.  m.,  when  it  marched  with  the  Brigade  back  to  the  rear. 
"I  am,  Captain,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 
J.    W.   SPAULDING, 

Captain  commanding. 
"Captain  J.  E.  Curtiss, 

"Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  First  Brigade." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  an  article  in  the  Portland  Evening 
Express  of  January  8th,  1887,  written  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
J.W.Spaulding: 

"At  the  Reunion  of  the  Vermont  Officers  Association,  held  at 
Montpelier,  November  3rd,  1886,  General  Francis  A.  Walker,  of  Boston, 
whose  intimate  relations  with  General  Hancock  during  the  war,  as  his 
Adjutant-General,  gives  peculiar  significance  to  anything  he  may  say 
relating  to  the  military  career  of  that  ereat  General,  in  an  eloquent 
address  upon  the  military  character  and  services  of  Major-General 
Winfield  S.  Hancock,  said :  'Time  will  not  serve  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
blackest  of  days  in  the  calendar  of  the  gallant  leader  of  the  Second 
Corps,  when  on  the  25th  of  August  after  his  men  had  lost  nearly  20,000 
men  in  battle  since  it  crossed  the  Rapidan  on  the  3rd  of  May,  two  of 
his  decimated  Divisions,  scarce  6 5 00  strong,  caught  in  the  ill-constructed 
intrenchments  at  Reams'  Station,  were  driven  from  a  portion  of 
their  works  by  repeated  assaults  from  a  superior  force,  with  the  loss 
of  seven  standards,  nine  cannon  and  1700  prisoners.  The  agony  of 
that  day  never  passed  away  from  the  proud  soldier,  who,  for  the  first 
time,  in  spite  of  superhuman  exertions  and  reckless  exposure  on  his 
part,  saw  his  lines  broken  and  his  guns  taken.' 

"All  who  witnessed  the  daring  and  valor  of  General  Hancock  upon 
the  field  at  Reams'  Station,  when  a  part  of  General  Miles'  Division  was 
broken  and  routed  by  the  enemy,  will  attest  to  the  truthfulness  of  what 
the  soldier-orator  says  of  his  conduct  that  day. 

"The  published  accounts  of  the  engagement  at  Reams'  Station 
have  failed  to  do  justice,  however,  to  the  men  who  fought  upon  the  field. 

"General  Humphreys  states  in  the  'Virginia  Campaigns  of  '64 
and  '65  -  'General  Hancock  said  that  if  his  troops  had  behaved  as 
well  as  they  had  done  before,  he  would  have  been  able  to  defeat  the 
enemy.'  If  this  remark  was  intended  to  apply  only  to  the  small  por 
tion  who  gave  way  at  the  third  charge  of  the  enemy,  it  undoubtedly 
states  no  more  than  the  truth ;  but  if  it  was  intended  to  include  all  the 
troops  there  engaged,  it  as  much  fails  to  do  justice  to  gallant  men,  as 
it  might  reflect  upon  commanding  generals  to  say,  if  they  had  ma- 
noeuvered  with  their  accustomed  skill,  that  small  body  of  Union  troops 
would  not  have  been  caught  in  that  awkward  position  by  such  an  over 
whelming  force  of  the  enemy. 

"It  will  be  remembered  that  the  fight  at  Reams'  Station  was 
brought  about  in  this  way :  The  First  and  Second  Divisions  of  the 


236  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Second  Corps  and  Gregg's  Cavalry,  all  under  command  of  General 
Hancock,  were  charged  with  the  work  of  destroying  the  Weldon  and 
Petersburg  railroad,  down  as  far  as  Rowanty  creek,  about  eight  miles 
below  Reams'  Station. 

"By  the  evening  of  August  24th  the  command  had  completely 
destroyed  the  road  to  a  point  three  miles  south  of  Reams'  Station. 
During  the  day  the  signal  officers  along  the  line  in  front  of  Petersburg 
had  reported  large  bodies  of  the  enemy's  infantry  passing  south, 
probably  directed  against  Hancock,  whose  command  could  easily  have 
been  withdrawn  or  reinforced  during  the  night.  The  morning  of  the 
25th  found  the  enemy's  cavalry  supported  by  infantry  across  the  left 
front.  At  a  little  after  noon  the  troops  were  drawn  back  to  Reams' 
Station,  where  there  were  some  intrenchments,  though  badly  arranged, 
having  been  hastily  constructed  by  other  troops  on  a  former  occasion. 
The  First  Division  was  placed  on  the  right,  in  works  running  southerly, 
"parallel  with  and  just  west  of  the  railroad,  and  facing  westerly;  two 
Brigades  of  the  Second  Division  were  placed  in  some  slight  works 
running  northeasterly  from  the  railroad  and  facing  southeasterly;  and 
the  other  Brigade  of  that  Division  was  formed  along  the  railroad  in 
support  of  the  First  Division.  The  line  of  battle  thus  formed  a  V-shape, 
and  this  enabled  the  enemy  to  so  place  his  artillery  opposite  the  apex 
as  to  completely  enfilade  the  lines  of  both  Divisions.  Still  the  works 
in  front  of  the  First  Division  were  such  as  to  enable  them  to  withstand 
any  assault  of  infantry,  and  they  did  gallantly  repulse  two  charges  by 
a  large  force  of  the  enemy's  infantry,  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  At  this  point  of  time,  the  Nineteenth  Maine  and  the  Nineteenth 
Massachusetts,  two  of  the  supporting  regiments,  were  moved  to  the 
center  of  the  left  wing  to  fill  a  gap  between  the  two  Brigades  on  that 
part  of  the  line. 

"When  the  enemy  again  charged,  a  portion  of  the  First  Division 
gave  away,  whether  from  demoralization  caused  by  the  artillery  fire, 
or  from  having  seen  the  support  drawn  from  their  rear,  or  from 
some  other  reason,  it  would  be  hard  to  tell.  It  was  sufficient,  however, 
to  let  the  Rebel  forces,  in  largely  superior  numbers,  through,  and  give 
them  the  possession  of  that  part  of  the  line  which  had  been  occupied 
by  the  First  Division.  This  gave  them  a  position  in  the  rear  of  our 
left  wing,  which  was  already  engaged  with  a  strong  line  of  Rebel  skirm 
ishers  in  their  front.  A  portion  of  the  line  were  ordered  to  turn  their 
backs  upon  the  Rebel  skirmish  line  in  their  front  and  charge  the  enemy, 
now  in  the  rear.  The  troops  responded  with  alacrity  and  were  led  in 
person  by  General  Thomas  A.  Smyth,  1  who  was  one  of  the  most  gallant 
and  dashing  of  the  Union  Generals.  But  the  task  was  too  great,  and 
the  small  force  returned  to  the  line  from  which  it  advanced,  just  in 
time  to  receive  and  repel  a  charge  from  the  enemy,  coming  up  in  the  old 
front;  then  quickly  facing  about  it  engaged  the  enemy  in  the  opposite 
quarter.  Thus  the  small  line  fought,  facing  first  to  the  front  then  to 


1  General  Smyth  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  entered  the  service, 
October  17th,  1861,  as  Major  of  the  First  Delaware  Infantry.  He  was 
promoted  to  be  Brigadier-General  October  1st,  1864,  after  having 
been  recommended  for  promotion  many  times.  General  Smyth  was 
mortally  wounded  at  Farmville,  Virginia,  April  7th,  1865,  and  died 
two  days  later.  He  had  been  distinguished  for  bravery  and  good 
judgment  in  nearly  every  battle  in  which  the  Second  Corps  participated 
in  1864-65,  and  was  the  last  general  officer  who  was  killed  in  the  Union 
armies  during  the  war. 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD       2^7 

the  rear.  I  remember  the  Nineteenth  Maine  changed  from  one  side 
of  the  works  to  the  other  four  times  during  the  engagement.  Men  never 
fought  with  greater  coolness,  courage  or  confidence  than  those  along; 
that  line,  and  that,  too,  under  the  most  demoralizing  circumstances 
and  surroundings.  The  position  was  held  until  a  column  of  the  enemy 
was  discovered  moving  around  the  left,  which  was  met,  however,  and 
resisted  by  our  cavalry ;  but  when  the  movement  was  discovered  orders 
were  given  to  retire  from  that  line.  Then  occurred  an  incident  which 
often  happened  at  such  times.  The  Nineteenth  Maine  being  detached 
from  its  Brigade  did  not  receive  the  orders,  and  that,  with  the  dusk  of 
evening  and  certain  natural  obstructions  which  intercepted  its  view, 
as  well  as  the  fact  that  its  attention  was  concentrated  upon  the  active 
work  in  hand  in  both  front  and  rear,  the  Regiment  did  not  learn  of  the 
movement  of  the  balance  of  the  line  until  all  others  had  completely 
withdrawn,  and  the  Rebel  infantry  fire  came  at  once  upon  both  flanks. 

"A  hurried  examination  disclosed  the  position  of  affairs,  when  the 
Regiment  proceeded  to  rejoin  the  troops  in  the  rear.  In  that  move 
ment  the  Nineteenth  Maine  lost,  among  the  wounded,  one  of  the  brav 
est  and  most  intelligent  officers  of  the  line  in  the  army,  Captain  Charles 
E.  Nash,  of  Augusta.  To  him  was  really  due  the  preservation  of  the 
entire  Regiment,  for  he  first  discovered  its  isolated  position.  He  was 
dangerously  wounded  while  running  the  gauntlet,  when  retiring  from 
that  position. 

"The  Regiment  had  no  sooner  gained  the  shelter  of  the  friendly 
woods,  where  were  assembled  the  rest  of  the  Division,  when  General 
Hancock,  riding  alone,  inquired,  'What  regiment?'  On  receiving  the 
answer,  he  exclaimed,  with  an  expletive,  'The  Nineteenth  Maine  will 
go  anywhere!  Deploy  by  the  fence  on  the  edge  of  the  field  in  front  and 
hold  that  postion.'  The  order  was  no  sooner  given  than  it  was  obeyed 
and  the  position  held  until  midnight,  when  all  of  the  forces  were  with 
drawn. 

"If  any  criticism  is  to  be  made  upon  the  conduct  of  the  Second 
Division  upon  that  day,  it  cannot  be  applied  to  the  men  who  carried 
muskets.  They  obeyed  every  order  with  the  coolness,  courage,  in 
telligence  and  loyalty  worthy  of  the  reputation  and  record  made  by 
the  Corps  and  its  brilliant  commander." 

The  foregoing  is  produced  here  because  it  gives  a  truthful 
and  unbiased  description  of  the  Regiment's  experience  in  this 
battle.  The  soldiers  of  the  Nineteenth,  who  were  present  in 
this  action,  claim  that  it  is  the  only  just  and  fair  statement 
which  they  have  ever  seen. 

Captain  Nash,  who  was  severely  wounded  in  this  battle, 
was  a  brave  and  popular  officer.  When  he  entered  the  service 
he  was,  by  profession,  a  newspaper  editor,  and  possessed 
marked  literary  ability.  He  never  returned  to  the  Regiment, 
but  was  discharged  November  28th.  After  his  discharge 
from  the  army,  Captain  Nash  was  several  times  Mayor  of 
Augusta  and  filled  other  important  official  positions.  He  died 
only  a  few  years  ago.  Had  Captain  Nash  lived,  he  would  have 


238  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

been  the  proper  person  to  have  written  the  history  of  the 
Nineteenth,  in  whose  brilliant  achievements  he  always  took 
so  much  pride. 

During  the  severe  fighting  at  Reams'  Station,  Brigadier- 
General  David  McM.  Gregg,  with  about  2000  men  from  his 
Division  of  Cavalry,  was  under  command  of  Hancock  and  did 
excellent  work  on  the  skirmish  line  and  flanks  of  the  infantry. 
Charles  H.  Smith,  then  Colonel  of  the  First  Maine  Cavalry, 
commanded  a  Brigade  in  this  engagement.  When  Hampton's 
Confederate  Cavalry  was  pushing  up  from  the  south  and  the 
southwest,  they  bumped  up  against  the  First  Maine  Cavalry, 
dismounted  and  armed  with  sixteen  shooters  and  stationed  on 
the  outskirts  of  a  swamp.  The  Confederates  backed  up  and 
concluded  to  try  some  place  where  it  would  be  easier  to  break 
through. 

There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  controversy  over  the  battle 
at  this  place.  The  writer  believes  that  here,  as  well  as  on  the 
Jerusalem  plank  road,  June  22nd,  the  men  in  the  ranks  were  not 
responsible  for  the  disaster  to  the  Second  Corps.  Soldiers  do 
not  like  to  be  shot  down  in  front  and  on  both  flanks  at  the  same 
time.  The  men  who  carry  rifles  do  not  plan  battles,  and  they 
do  not  have  the  privilege  of  investigating  to  see  whether  their 
flanks  are  protected,  or  where  the  enemy  may  be  found,  except 
as  they  are  ordered  to  do  so  by  their  superior  officers.  General 
Hancock  was  ordered  to  take  two  of  his  Divisions,  Gibbon  and 
Barlow,  leaving  the  largest  Division  behind,  immediately  after 
returning  from  an  exhausting  expedition  to  Strawberry  Plains, 
and  hasten  beyond  the  left  of  our  army  to  destroy  the  Weldon 
railroad.  We  had  succeeded  in  destroying  a  long  stretch  of  the 
railroad  and  some  valuable  property.  Every  indication  pointed 
to  an  attack  by  the  Confederate  infantry  sent  to  oppose  us. 
General  Meade  knew  this  better  than  Hancock  and  had  advised 
him  of  the  large  force  moving  toward  his  front.  Why  these 
two  small  Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  should  have  been  thrust 
out  into  the  enemy's  country,  without  support,  and  kept  there, 
designedly,  to  be  fallen  upon  by  overwhelming  numbers  of  the 
enemy  and  uselessly  sacrificed,  is  pretty  hard  to  explain. 

General  Hancock  had  at  Reams'  Station  only  6500  infantry 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD  239 

and  less  than  2000  cavalry.  The  forces  of  the  enemy  were 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  A.  P.  Hill.  He  had, 
including  nearly  4000  cavalry  under  Hampton,  from  14,000  to 
j 6,000  men. 

Now  let  the  reader  call  to  mind  the  fact  that  within  four 
miles  of  Hancock's  position,  and  connected  by  telegraph  and 
the  Halifax  road  running  north  to  Warren's  and  Meade's 
headquarters,  there  were  more  than  20,000  Union  soldiers  lying 
idle  behind  their  breastworks.  These  brave  men  were  within 
sound  of  Hancock's  guns  and  at  the  word  would  gladly  have 
gone  to  the  relief  of  Miles  and  Gibbon.  The  Divisions  of  Griffin 
and  Crawford  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  Willcox  and  White  of  the 
Ninth,  were  South  of  the  Globe  Tavern.  For  all  practical  pur 
poses,  they  might  as  well  have  been  on  another  planet. 

A  little  before  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Willcox,  with 
his  Division  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  was  ordered  to  reinforce  Han 
cock.  Instead  of  going  directly  down  the  Halifax  road,  within 
three  and  a  half  miles,  and  striking  the  Confederates  on  their 
left  flank,  he  was  ordered  by  Meade  to  go  around  by  the  way 
of  the  Jerusalem  plank  road,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  The 
mildest  term  which  can  appropriately  be  applied  to  such 
generalship  is  blundering  incapacity.  It  is  now  conceded  by 
everyone  who  has  knowledge  of  the  facts  that  General  Meade 
could  have  reinforced  Hancock  at  Reams'  Station  by  a  force  of 
10,000  men,  and  that  they  could  have  gone  down  the  Halifax 
road  and  reached  Hancock  in  one  hour's  time.  Our  men  had 
been  grumbling  because  they  had  been  obliged  to  continuously 
fight  the  Confederates  in  their  intrenchments.  The  opportunity 
was  now  presented  when  they  would  fight  us  in  the  open  or  in 
whatever  earthworks  we  had  constructed. 

Here  is  the  testimony  of  General  Willcox,  who,  with  his 
Division,  was  sent  to  the  relief  of  Hancock: 

"I  proposed  to  the  officer  who  brought  me  my  orders  to  march 
straight  down  the  railroad,  four  or  five  miles  at  most,  and  join  Hancock 
at  once,  instead  of  marching  around  twelve  miles  by  the  plank  road. 
I  was  told  that  there  was  some  apprehension  of  the  enemy's  getting 
round  Hancock's  left  and  rear,  and  that  I  must  look  out  for  that  side. 
We  passed  the  Gurley  house  at  3 : 5 5, marched  across  lots  to  the  plank 
road  and  down  to  the  crossroads  at  Shay's  Tavern,  where  we  arrived 
before  six,  and  received  a  message  from  Hancock  calling  me  up  rapidly. 


THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

My  troops  were  in  good  spirits.  They  heard  the  cannon  firing  and  felt 
that,  having  assisted  Warren  of  late  materially  and  in  the  nick  of  an 
extremity,  they  were  rather  honored  by  this  call  from  the  grand  old 
Second  Corps,  and  we  pushed  ahead  at  a  swinging  gait.  *  *"  *  * 
I  pushed  on,  without  halting,  until  seven  o'clock,  when  I  received  word 
that  if  one  or  two  Brigades  could  be  got  up  in  time»the  day  might  yet 
be  saved.  This  was  communicated  to  the  troops,  who  threw  oil  their 
blanket  rolls  and  started  at  a  double  quick,  which  they  kept  up,  with 
few  breathing  intervals,  the  rest  of  the  way  until  I  reported  to  Han 
cock."! 

Willcox  was  too  late  to  be  of  any  assistance.  His  Division 
did  not  come  within  a  mile  of  the  battlefield,  although  eager 
to  render  service.  Before  Willcox  reported  to  Hancock,  many 
of  Miles'  and  Gibbon's  soldiers  were  marching  to  the  rear  of  the 
Confederate  lines,  prisoners  of  war.  Scores  of  mangled  and 
bleeding  forms  were  lying  across  the  railroad,  and  in  front  and 
in  the  rear  of  these  worthless  intrenchments — a  barren  sacrifice. 

General  Francis  A.  Walker,  serving  on  Hancock's  staff,  was 
taken  prisoner.  He  states  that  when  conducted  to  the  head 
quarters  of  the  Confederate  General  Wilcox,  he  was  asked  who 
the  brave  officer  was  on  the  right  of  our  line,  who  did  such 
splendid  work,  rallying  the  troops.  When  informed  that  it  was 
General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  General  Wilcox  paid  a  fine  compli 
ment  to  his  daring. 

The  gallant  record  of  General  Miles  recalls  the  fact  that 
when  he  enlisted  in  1861  in  the  Twenty-second  Massachusetts 
Infantry,  the  Governor  of  that  State  refused  to  give  Miles  a 
Captain's  commission,  because  he  was  too  young  for  so  im 
portant  a  place!  So  he  was  made  First  Lieutenant,  and  a  few 
months  later  he  was  invited  by  those  who  saw  the  young  officer's 
promise,  to  become  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Sixty-first 
New  York  Volunteers.  This  fine  Regiment  gave  to  the  Union 
cause  two  Major-Generals — Barlow  and  Miles. 

Three  of  the  regiments  which  had  come  to  the  army  since 
the  beginning  of  the  Wilderness  campaign  lost  their  colors  at 
Reams'  Station.  On  the  3Oth  of  August,  Gibbon,  as  command 
er  of  our  Division,  issued  an  order  depriving  these  regiments  of 
their  right  to  carry  colors  until,  by  their  conduct  in  battle, 
they  should  show  themselves  competent  to  protect  them.  This 
order  was  approved  by  Meade.  Sometime  afterward,  General 

1  Battles  and  Leaders,  Vol.  4,  p.  572. 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD  241 

Hancock  raised  an  objection  to  singling  out  these  three  com 
paratively  new  regiments,  whose  commanders  had  been  killed 
in  battle,  and  not  have  the  order  apply  to  all  regiments  whose 
flags  had  been  captured  in  battle  by  the  enemy.  His  reference 
was  particularly  to  the  Fifteenth  and  Nineteenth  Massachusetts 
Regiments,  whose  flags  had  been  captured  on  the  Jerusalem 
plank  road,  and  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts,  whose  flag  and 
many  of  whose  soldiers  were  captured  at  Reams'  Station.  The 
Nineteenth  Maine  never  suffered  the  humiliation  of  having  its 
flag  captured  by  the  enemy.  It  had  several  times  been  forced 
back  by  the  Confederates,  and  three  successive  color-bearers 
were  killed  in  one  battle,  but  no  Confederate  ever  laid  his 
hands  upon  the  colors  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  Union  losses  at  Reams' 
Station  in  the  Second  Corps  and  in  the  batteries  were  85  killed, 
380  wounded,  and  1733  missing.  Of  the  killed,  nearly  one- 
fourth  were  commissioned  officers-^-an  unusually  large  percent 
age.  Practically  all  of  the  missing  were  taken  prisoners. 
During  the  three  days  at  Reams',  the  cavalry  lost  about  150. 

>  General  Hill,  the  Confederate  commander,  reported  his 
loss  at  720.  This  was  certainly  a  reasonable  price  to  pay  for 
five  twelve-pound  Napoleon  guns,  four  three-inch  rifle  guns,  ten 
caissons,  3000  rifles,  thirty  horses,  eight  or  ten  battle  flags  and 
over  1700  prisoners,  all  of  which  the  Confederates  captured  in 
this  engagement,  and  the  killing  or  wounding  of  over  500  Union 
men.  Hill  claimed  they  took  2150  prisoners,  but  they  didn't. 
He  doubtless  understated  their  loss,  too.  There  was  no  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  Confederates  to  follow  up  the  Union  troops 
when  they  fell  back. 

LOSSES    OF    THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    AT   THE    BATTLE 

OF    REAMS'  STATION. 

August  25th,  1864. 

Captain  Charles  E.  Nash,  Company  C,  wounded. 

Company  A. 
Tilly  Huff,  prisoner. 

Company  B. 

Abijah  N.  Clay  (4th  Me.),  killed;  First  Sergeant  Darius  S.  Richards 
wounded;  Alonzo  V.  Gregory,  prisoner;  Navard  Grover  (4th  Me.), 
prisoner;  Adoniram  D.  Hall,  prisoner. 


242  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Company  C. 

John  W.  Barnes,  prisoner;  James  H.  Flanders,  prisoner,  died 
Nov.  27th. 

Company  D. 

James  Pierce  (4th  Me.),  wounded;  Christian  Anderson,  prisoner; 
James  O.  Bean,  prisoner  while  detached  in  Artillery  Brigade;  died 
January  15th,  1865,  Salisbury  Prison;  Enoch  Hollis,  Jr., ^prisoner; 
William  R.  Sawyer,  prisoner;  John  W.  Young,  prisoner. 

Company  K. 

Benjamin  Knowles  (4th  Me.),  wounded  ^Joseph  E.  Farnham  (4th 
Me.),  wounded;  Charles  D.  Poor,  (4th  Me.),  wounded;  Elisha  P.  Rich 
ards  (4th  Me.),  prisoner;  Benjamin  Roberts  (4th  Me.),  prisoner;  died 
in  Rebel  prison,  Nov.  23rd;  Marcellus  Freeman,  prisoner. 

Company  F. 
Leonard  B.  Ricker,  prisoner;  died  a  prisoner  Nov.  5th. 

Company  G. 

George  F.  Doe,  killed;  William  Murphy,  prisoner;  Zelia  W. 
Young,  prisoner ;  Albert  Quimby,  prisoner,  died  a  prisoner  of  war  (date 
of  capture  also  given  Aug.  30,  '64). 

Company  H. 

George  Fuller,  wounded;  Andrew  J.  Bashford,  prisoner;  Frank 
Fields,  prisoner;  Cyrus  L.  Ring  (4th  Me.),  prisoner;  died  in  Salisbury 
prison  December  1st,  1864;  Charles  H.  Stewart,  prisoner;  George  L 
Smith,  prisoner;  died  October  28th,  paroled  prisoner  at  Anapolis,  Md^ 

Company  I. 

Leverett  S.  Boynton  (4th  Me.),  prisoner,  died  in  prison  Nov.  27th; 
Peter  Larkin,  prisoner,  died  Anderson ville  prison  Oct.  20th;  Charles 
Miles  (4th  Me.),  prisoner;  Charles  H.  Powell,  prisoner;  Freeman 
York,  prisoner. 

Company  K. 

George  H.  Brown,  prisoner;  Edward  B.  Curtis,  prisoner;  William 
Greenwood,  prisoner;  Maurice  Murray,  prisoner. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  2 

Wounded,  not  fatally  7 

Prisoners,  nine  of  whom  died  in  prison  33 

Total  -        42 

Let  us  close  the  history  of  Reams'  Station  and  forget  the 
gross  injustice  which  has  been  done  the  men  who  carried  rifles 
in  this  battle,  by  the  writers  of  history. 

On  Friday,  the  26th  of  August,  the  Regiment  went  back  to 
the  Petersburg  intrenchments  and  took  position  in  the  old  works 
vacated  by  us  on  the  i2th  of  July.  On  September  nth,  the 
army  began  the  use  of  "Grant's  Railroad,"  as  it  was  then  called 
by  the  men.  This  road  ran  from  City  Point  to  places  along  the 
rear  of  our  lines,  with  the  western  terminal  on  the  Weldon  rail- 
Toad.  It  was  a  great  convenience  to  the  army. 


REAMS     STATION   AND   BOVDTON   ROAD  243 

In  the  early  days  of  September,  Generals  Grant  and 
Meade,  somewhat  mystified  by  the  movements  of  the  Confeder 
ates,  and  by  the  persistent  rumor  that  Early  was  on  his  way 
from  the  Valley  to  join  Lee,  began  to  fortify,  in  anticipation  of 
any  attack  that  might  be  made  upon  our  left  flank  and  rear  by 
the  enemy  coming  up  from  the  Halifax  and  Jerusalem  roads. 
Works  were  constructed,  heavy  guns  planted  and  streets  were 
cut  from  the  forts  on  the  main  line  to  the  rear,  so  every  organi 
zation  would  have  a  road  to  facilitate  rapid  movements.  In 
case  an  attack  should  be  made  by  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy 
passing  around  our  left  flank,  it  was  thought  that  the  main  line 
of  works  facing  Petersburg  might  be  held  by  2000  men  for  each 
mile  of  intrenchments,  while  the  remainder  of  the  troops  might 
be  spared  to  oppose  any  attack  of  the  enemy  from  the  left  or 
rear.  But  the  fear  was  groundless.  In  fact,  Sheridan  was  pre 
paring  a  series  of  entertainments  for  Early  that  kept  him  busy 
in  the  Valley  for  the  balance  of  the  season. 

On  the  night  of  September  9th,  General  De  Trobriand,  with 
a  portion  of  his  Brigade  from  Mott's  Division,  made  a  night 
attack  upon  a  portion  of  the  Confederate  picket  line  near  the 
Jerusalem  plank  road.  In  a  hand-to-hand  fight  he  captured 
the  pickets,  turned  their  works,  and  during  the  hours  of  darkness 
strengthened  them,  so  that  they  were  thereafter  retained. 

General  Gibbon  was  assigned  temporarily  to  the  command 
of  the  Eighteenth  Corps  on  September  4th,  and  remained  away 
until  September  25th.  During  his  absence,  Colonel  Smyth 
commanded  the  Division. 

Beef  was  a  scarce  article  in  the  Confederate  camps,  while 
we  had  an  abundance.  General  Meade  kept  his  herd  of  cattle 
for  our  supply  some  miles  down  the  James  from  City  Point,  and 
south  of  the  river,  near  Sycamore  church.  Good  grazing  ground 
was  found  there.  It  was  placing  a  great  temptation  before  the 
eyes  of  the  hungry  Confederates.  General  Hampton,  with  a 
force  of  cavalry,  left  the  right  of  the  Confederate  lines  and 
marched  down  on  the  west  side  of  Rowanty  creek,  stole  along 
the  rear  of  our  army  from  left  to  right,  and  went  after  our  fresh 
meat.  He  made  a  night  attack  September  i6th,  and  captured 
the  cattle  guards  and  2400  beef  cattle.  You  cannot  make  a 


244  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

very  rapid  march  with  a  large  herd  of  cattle,  yet  strange  to 
say,  the  "Johnnies"  got  away  with  the  whole  herd.  They  had 
to  drive  them  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  miles,  and  yet  the  Un 
ion  forces  gave  them  practically  no  annoyance  during  their 
return  march.  The  result  of  losing  our  beef  supply  was  the 
substitution  of  salt  codfish  for  our  meat  diet,  for  a  while.  After 
being  carried  in  a  dirty  haversack  and  wet  a  few  times,  codfish 
is  not  a  specially  inviting  diet.  A  comrade  from  Company  A 
writes,  with  relation  to  his  experiences  at  this  time:  "When 
ever  I  become  sick  or  dissatisfied  with  food  furnished  me  at 
home,  I  think  of  that  stinking  salt  codfish  we  had  to  eat  in 
the  early  fall  of  1864,  and  a  spirit  of  sweet  contentment 
sweeps  over  my  soul." 

The  late  Colonel  Starbird,  in  his  lifetime,  furnished  the 
following  information: 

"Of  the  thirty  independent  companies  organized  in  Maine  in  1864 
and  1865,  the  fifth  was  assigned  to  the  Nineteenth  Regiment,  then 
stationed  in  the  works  in  front  of  Petersburg.  This  Company  was 
organized  October  4th,  1864,  and  reported  to  the  Regiment  October 
22nd,  with  three  officers  and  sixty-four  men.  Addison  W.  Lewis  was 
Captain,  Edward  B.  Sargent,  First  Lieutenant,  and  Charles  Bennett, 
Second  Lieutenant.  This  Company,  as  an  eleventh  company,  partic 
ipated  with  the  Regiment  in  the  engagement  on  the  Boydton  plank 
road,  October  27th,  and  received  its  first  baptism  of  fire,  where  they 
bore  themselves  with  the  coolness  and  steadiness  of  veterans.  As 
might  be  supposed,  an  odd  number  of  companies,  with  the  eleventh 
company  very  much  larger  than  any  of  the  others,  and  deficient  in 
the  knowledge  which  actual  service  gives,  made  the  Regiment  un 
wieldy  and  impaired  its  efficiency.  For  the  good  of  the  service,  the 
War  Department  directed  that  both  officers  and  men  of  the  new  com 
pany  be  distributed  among  the  companies  of  the  Regiment.  This  was 
done  in  November,  1864.  Each  officer  and  non-commissioned  officer 
was  given  the  same  rank  and  position  held  by  him  in  the  unassigned 
company.  Naturally,  they  disliked  to  lose  their  identity  as  a  company. 
It  was  surprising  how  quickly  they  became  assimilated  with  the  men 
who  had  seen  more  than  two  years  of  field  service.  In  a  very  short 
time  one  could  not  tell  a  new  from  an  old  soldier.  So  it  proved  to  the 
end.  These  new  troops  served  with  the  Regiment  until  the  close  of 
the  war. 

"Major  J.  W.  Welch  had  been  commissioned  Colonel,  vice  Colonel 
Selden  Connor,  promoted  to  Brigadier-General.  Captain  W.  H.  Fogler 
was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  vice  Cunningham,  resigned,  and 
Captain  I.  W.  Starbird  to  Major,  in  place  of  Major  Welch,  promoted, 
all  under  date  of  August  16th,  1864. 

"Colonel  J.  W.  Welch  was  discharged  for  disability,  October  21, 
1864,  on  his  resignation.  Major  Starbird,  who  had  been  in  temporary 
command  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fourth  Pennsylvania  Regi 
ment,  on  being  returned,  assumed  command  of  the  Nineteenth  on  the 
24th,  being  the  only  field  officer  present  in  the  field." 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  KOAD  245 

The  Expedition  to  the  Boydton  plank  road,  near  the  last 
of  October,  1864,  was  the  last  effort  made  by  Grant  and  Meade 
to  reach  the  South  Side  railroad  during  the  year.  It  had  been 
the  hope  of  those  in  command  to  compel  the  evacuation  of 
Petersburg  before  winter,  by  getting  and  holding  a  position  on 
this  railroad  which  was  the  last  of  the  great  avenues  connecting 
Petersburg,  from  the  south  and  west,  with  the  outside  Con 
federacy.  The  plan  was  to  have  Hancock  take  two  Divisions 
of  the  Second  Corps,  the  Second  and  Third,  under  the  command 
of  Egan  and  Mott,  respectively,  pass  over  the  Weldon  railroad 
south  of  the  Union  fortifications,  cross  Hatcher's  run  below 
Armstrong's  mill,  and  then  push  forward  and  get  possession  of 
the  Boydton  plank  road.  Then  Hancock  was  to  follow  the 
Boydton  road  north,  recrossing  Hatcher's  run  at  Burgess' 
mill,  and  from  that  point  push  for  the  South  Side  railroad. 
Hatcher's  run  flows  east  as  far  as  the  Boydton  road,  but  shortly 
afterward  makes  a  turn  and  then  runs  almost  due  south  for 
several  miles.  It  flows  through  a  region  covered  with  woods 
and  an  undergrowth  which  was  almost  as  impenetrable  as  in  the 
Wilderness. 

The  space  between  the  left  of  our  fortifications  and  the 
region  through  which  Hancock  was  to  move  was  to  be  occupied, 
simultaneously  with  Hancock's  advance,  by  portions  of  the 
Fifth  and  Ninth  Corps.  General  Grant  did  not  believe  that  the 
enemy  would  be  found  in  force  as  far  west  as  the  Boydton  road 
at  Burgess'  mill.  We  shall  see  that  in  this  he  was  in  error. 

Our  Division  drew  out  of  the  front  line  of  works  at  half- 
past  two  in  the  morning  of  October  26th  and  took  position  in  the 
rear  of  Fort  Bross,  not  far  from  the  Weldon  railroad.  At  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  the  two  Divisions  of  the 
Second  Corps,  having  six  days'  rations  issued  to  them,  marched 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  Robertson  house,  on  the  Halifax  road,  and 
rested  for  the  night.  The  2yth  of  October  was  an  eventful  day 
for  the  Regiment.  The  troops  were  off,  marching  in  a  westerly 
direction,  starting  a  little  after  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
The  three  Brigades  of  our  Division,  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Rugg,  Colonel  Willett  and  General  Smyth,  respectively, 
took  the  Church  road  and  came  into  the  Vaughn  road  a  little 


246  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Over  two  miles  from  the  Halifax  road.  Then  our  Division,  under 
General  Egan,  advanced  toward  Hatcher's  run.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Spalter,of  the  Fourth  Ohio  Battallion,was  in  command 
of  the  skirmish  line  this  day.  The  skirmishers  pushed  the  Con 
federates  across  Hatcher's  run,  south  of  Armstrong's  mill,  and 
it  was  here  that  Colonel  Spalter  was  killed.  The  Division 
crossed  the  run  and  took  the  works  of  the  enemy  without  much 
loss.  When  on  the  west  side  of  the  creek,  our  Brigade  was  put 
in  advance  and  followed  up  the  enemy  and  reached  Dabney's 
mi!!  at  quarter  past  nine  in  the  morning.  Here  our  Brigade 
skirmishers  captured  Major  Venable,  an  officer  serving  on 
Hampton's  staff.  Mott's  Division  took  position  on  our  left,  and 
we  reached  the  Boydton  road  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock. 
After  throwing  out  flankers  on  both  sides  of  the  road  and  skir 
mishers  in  front,  the  Division  turned  north  on  the  Boydton 
road  and  toward  Hatcher's  run.  When  near  Burgess'  Tavern, 
which  is  less  than  half  a  mile  south  of  Hatcher's  run,  the 
enemy  opened  fire  on  us  from  a  slight  elevation  south  of  the  run, 
to  our  left.  Here  a  portion  of  the  Regiment  was  placed  on  the 
skirmish  line.  The  right  of  our  Brigade  rested  on  the  Boydton 
road  and  the  Second  Brigade  of  our  Division  was  on  the  right 
of  the  road.  The  enemy  was  posted  on  a  ridge  running  parallel 
with,  and  some  five  or  six  hundred  yards  south  of,  Hatcher's 
run.  Batteries  I  and  C,  Fifth  United  States  Artillery,  silenced 
the  Confederate  guns,  and  Smyth's  Brigade  drove  the  enemy 
across  Hatcher's  run  and  secured  the  bridge  in  the  early  after 
noon.  We  were  about  crossing  Hatcher's  run  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  the  Confederates  attacked  our  right  flank 
and  rear,  coming  in  between  the  Second  Corps  and  Crawford's 
Division  of  the  Ninth. 

General  Warren  had  been  ordered  to  send  one  of  his  Divis 
ions  across  Hatcher's  run  and  move  northwesterly,  keeping  his 
right  flank  all  the  time  on  the  creek.  The  Division  assigned  by 
Warren  to  perform  this  duty  was  that  of  Crawford.  It  was  in 
tended  that  this  movement  should  serve  the  purpose  of  sup 
porting  Hancock  after  that  officer  had  reached  the  Vaughn 
road  and  had  begun  the  march  toward  Burgess'  Tavern. 
Crawford  crossed  Hatcher's  run  at  Armstrong's  mill,  a  short 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD  247 

distance  north  of  the  point  where  Hancock  crossed  the  same 
stream,  and  a  little  later  in  the  day  Crawford  marched  up  the 
west  bank  of  Hatcher's  run,  with  his  Division  deployed.  His 
progress  was  very  slow  and  difficult  by  reason  of  the  dense 
woods  and  thickets.  No  orderly  formation  could  be  maintained. 
After  some  hours,  Crawford  had  advanced  as  far  up  the  run 
as  to  be  directly  opposite  some  Confederate  breastworks.  From 
where  Crawford  then  was  to  the  position  occupied  by  Hancock 
on  the  Vaughn  road  was  less  than  a  mile,  but  neither  officer  knew 
of  the  location  of  the  other. 

While  these  movements  were  going  on,  General  Lee  had 
resolved  to  put  the  larger  part  of  Hill's  Corps  across  Hatcher's 
run  and  attack  Hancock's  left  flank.  A  reconnoissance  showed 
the  Confederates  that  our  Division  had  secured  and  was  holding 
the  bridge  at  Burgess'  mill,  so  they  were  compelled  to  cross 
further  down  stream.  It  so  happened  that  the  point  of  crossing 
Hatcher's  run  by  Hill's  force  was  about  midway  between 
Crawford  and  Hancock.  The  sound  of  the  guns  did  not  reach 
Crawford,  owing  to  the  density  of  the  woods  and  the  condition 
of  the  atmosphere.  But  the  Confederates  were  in  a  more  dan 
gerous  position  than  they  realized. 

McAllister's  Third  Brigade  of  Mott's  Division  and  the 
Brigades  of  Smyth  and  Willett  of  his  own  Division,  under 
General  Egan,  faced  about  and  charged  the  enemy's  right  flank, 
capturing  hundreds  of  prisoners  and  two  colors.  Major  Mitchell, 
of  Hancock's  staff,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Wisconsin,  charged  down  the  Boydton  road,  which  was  in 
the  possession  of  the  Confederates,  and  captured  two  hundred 
prisoners  and  one  battle-flag,  and  put  to  rout  the  enemy's  line 
of  battle.  The  victory  was  complete,  and  the  Confederates 
were  glad  to  draw  off  and  await  reinforcements.  Our  own 
Brigade  then  took  position  on- the  right  of  the  Boydton  road, 
connecting  with  McAllister's.  There  were  three  separate 
attacks  of  the  enemy,  all  of  which  were  repulsed.  General 
Egan  took  pains  in  his  report  to  single  out  and  compliment 
the  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin  and  the  Eighth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery  for  their  gallantry  in  this  battle.  These  were  two  of 
the  regiments  who  were  deprived  of  the  right  to  carry  colors 


248  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

because  their  flags  had  been  captured  by  the  enemy  at  Reams' 
Station.  He  said  "no  troops  could  have  done  better"  than 
these  two  regiments. 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night  we  marched  back  to  Dabney's 
mill.  Early  the  next  morning  the  Division  recrossed  Hatcher's 
run  south  of  Armstrong's  mill,  and  reached  Fort  Bross,  October 
28th,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

General  Hancock's  advance  on  the  Boydton  road  was  with 
in  three  and  one-half  miles  of  the  bridge  of  the  South  Side  rail 
road  across  Hatcher's  run.  The  result  might  have  been  very 
different  had  the  troops  designed  for  that  purpose  been  able 
to  keep  the  Confederates  away  from  Hancock's  right  flank  and 
rear. 

The  losses  of  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions  of  the  Second 
Corps  at  Boydton  Plank  Road  on  October  2yth,  in  killed, 
wounded  and  missing,  were  1 138.  Gregg's  Cavalry  on  our  left 
flank,  and  in  the  attack  on  our  rear,  performed  distinguished 
services.  The  First  Maine  Cavalry  was  under  orders  to  pro 
ceed  home  to  be  mustered  out,  but  remained  and  went  into 
the  battle  voluntarily  and  did  valuable  work. 

The  Confederates  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  their  last 
attack  during  the  night  and  called  to  their  assistance  all  the 
troops  that  could  be  gathered.  The  morning  of  October  28th, 
they  began  to  advance  cautiously,  intending  to  annihilate 
Hancock,  with  18,000  men  concentrated  during  the  night,  but 
Hancock  was  not  there.  In  the  narrative  and  description  given 
by  Confederate  officers  of  this  and  other  engagements,  one  finds 
much  romance  and  invention. 

Silas  Adams,  of  Company  F,  states  that  while  the  Nine 
teenth  was  nearly  surrounded  by  the  enemy  on  the  Boydton 
road,  and  the  enemy  was  sending  in  its  compliments  from  every 
direction,  the  men  were  somewhat  excited  and  could  hardly  be 
restrained  from  running  to  cover.  Major  Starbird,  seeing  the 
condition  of  things,  and  thinking  it  necessary  to  relieve  the 
tension  of  the  men,  coolly  mounted  a  rock,  took  his  pipe  from  his 
pocket  and  proceeded  deliberately  to  fill  it.  He  then  lighted  it 
and  began  to  smoke  as  calmly  as  though  nothing  unusual  was 
occurring.  He  was  a  conspicuous  mark  for  the  enemy,  but  his 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD  249 

example  had  the  desired  effect  upon  the  men  of  the  Regiment. 
The  following  is  Major  Starbird's  official  report  of  the  battle 
on  the  Boydton  Road: 

"Headquarters  Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers,  1 
October  29th,    1864.  / 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  present  the  following  report  of  the 
movements  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  Regiment  during  the  late  en 
gagement:  October  26th,  left  bivouac  near  Fort  Bross  at  2:30  p.  m., 
marched  to  and  across  the  Weldon  railroad  and  bivouacked  for  the 
night  at  9  p.  m.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  left  bivouac  near  Weldon 
railroad  and  marched  in  a  westerly  direction;  found  the  enemy  in  a 
slightly  fortified  position  on  the  west  side  of  Hatcher's  creek.  The 
Regiment  was  placed  in  position  in  the  second  line  of  battle,  which, 
advancing,  carried  the  works,  capturing  a  few  prisoners.  We  after 
ward  marched  by  the  flank  to  Burgess'  mill,  where  a  portion  of  the  Regi 
ment  was  sent  on  picket,  capturing  a  wagon  belonging  to  the  Confeder 
ate  army.  On  leaving  this  place,  two  companies  were  thrown  out 
as  flankers,  and  the  march  continued  to  and  across  the  Boydton  plank 
road,  where  we  formed  line  of  battle  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  line, 
and  exposed  to  artillery  in  front  and  rear.  The  line  then  advanced 
in  good  order,  and  occupied  a  new  position  on  the  left  of  the  plank 
road  in  an  open  field,  and  was  at  one  time  almost  surrounded  by  in 
fantry.  Under  these  trying  circumstances  the  Regiment  held  the 
position  with  creditable  coolness  and  courage.  About  5p.m.  the  Regi 
ment  moved  to  the  right,  supporting  a  portion  of  the  Third  Brigade. 
Soon  after,  an  attack  was  made  on  our  right,  when  four  companies 
of  the  Regiment  were  sent  to  that  point, — seven  companies  remained. 
Thus  the  Regiment  remained  until  after  dark,  when  the  entire  Regi 
ment  joined  the  Brigade  on  the  plank  road.  We  then  formed  a  line  on 
the  plank  road,  throwing  out  pickets  in  front  and  rear.  About  twelve 
o'clock  at  night  left  the  plank  road  and  marched  back  to  near  Hatcher's 
creek,  where  we  remained  until  10 : 00  a.  m.,  October  28th,  at  which  time 
the  Regiment  was  ordered  to  occupy  the  works  on  the  creek  captured 
the  previous  day,  holding  the  road  until  the  Division  filed  past,  when 
it  joined  the  column  and  continued  the  march  to  near  Fort  Bross,  at 
which  it  arrived  at  5  p.  m.,  October  28,  1864.  During  the  engagement, 
the  Regiment  lost  one  man  killed,  four  men  wounded  and  one  supposed 
taken  prisoner. 

"Respectfully  submitted, 

"I.  W.  STARBIRD, 

Major  commanding  Regiment. 
"Captain  Ryerson, 

"Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  First  Brigade, 
"Second  Division,  Second  Army  Corps," 

This  fight  was  called,  by  the  men  engaged,  the"  Bull  Ring," 
from  the  fact  that  the  line  of  battle  was  an  irregular  circle,  with 
the  Union  forces  on  the  inside.  The  Regiment  was  without 
protection,  in  an  open  field,  and  exposed  to  a  destructive  fire 
from  nearly  every  direction.  A  battery  on  our  left  enfiladed 
our  line,  and  was  the  cause  of  much  injury  to  the  men,  including 
the  death  of  First  Sergeant  Heald,  of  Company  A. 


250  TNE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

While  we  were  thus  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire,  an  incident 
occurred  which  is  deemed  worthy  of  record.  Assistant  Surgeon 
W.  H.  Randall,  the  only  medical  officer  on  duty  with  the  Regi 
ment,  came  up  from  the  rear  and  reported.  "What  in  the  world 
are  you  doing  up  here,  doctor?  You  will  be  killed,"  said  Major 
Starbird.  In  the  coolest  manner  possible,  the  doctor  replied: 
'  I  thought  I  would  come  up  and  see  how  you  are  getting  along." 
'  Get  into  that  hollow  and  lie  down,"  was  the  order.  He  did  so. 
Not  long  after,  the  enemy  charged  and  took  possession  of  a 
corduroy  bridge  across  the  creek,  in  our  rear.  Matters  looked 
badly  for  us.  The  doctor,  seeing  the  action  of  the  enemy, 
jumped  up  and  going  to  the  commander,  said,  in  a  determined 
voice:  "Major,  if  those  fellows  come  up  here,  by  G — d,  I  want 
a  gun."  He  was  directed  to  take  that  of  Sergeant  Heald,  who 
had  just  been  killed.  It  is  not  necessary  to  state  that  the 
doctor  was  promoted.  Major  Starbird  stated  that  he  recalled 
no  situation  during  the  war  more  trying  or  demanding  more 
coolness  or  intelligent  courage.  The  Regiment  conducted  itself 
only  as  intelligent,  patriotic  men  can  do  under  a  galling  fire. 
It  received  the  commendation  of  the  Division  commander. 

The  loss  of  the  Regiment  is  understated  in  the  official 
report,  as  the  following  list  will  show: 

CASUALTIES  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  IN  BATTLE  OF 
BOYDTON  ROAD  (ALSO  CALLED  HATCHER'S  RUN). 

October  27th,  1864. 

Company  A. 

First  Sergeant  Thomas  M.  Heald,  mortally  wounded,  died  same 
day;  Charles  H.  Bigelow,  wounded,  Charles  E.  Day,  prisoner,  died  in 
Libby  Prison,  December  19th. 

Company  B. 
Alvin  L.  Chapman,  wounded. 

Company  E. 
Peleg  S.  Staples,  wounded. 

Company  G. 
Lewis  A.  Moulton,  wounded. 

Company  H. 
Jonathan  Groves,  prisoner. 


REAMS'  STATION  AND  BOYDTON  ROAD  251 

Company  I. 
Corporal  George  S.  Cobb,l  killed;  Edward  Boyne,  wounded. 

Company  K. 
James  H.  Knights,  wounded. 

Generals  Grant  and  Meade  were  in  the  line  of  the  Second 
Corps  during  the  battle  of  Boydton  road.  After  we  had  got 
possession  of  the  bridge  over  Hatcher's  run  at  Burgess'  mill, 
the  enemy  was  using  his  artillery  from  the  north  side  of  the 
Run,  much  to  our  discomfiture.  General  Grant  rode  out  into 
an  open  field,  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  position  of  the  enemy. 
His  own  staff-officers,  together  with  those  of  Meade,  followed, 
and  they  made  a  good  mark  for  the  Confederate  b'atteries. 
The  group  was  shelled  and  one  of  the  orderlies  was  killed. 
General  Grant  took  one  of  his  staff-officers  with  him  and 
galloped  up  the  road  to  within  a  few  yards  of  the  bridge,  where 
he  could  see  the  Confederate  line,  the  lay  of  the  land  and  the 
nature  of  the  banks  of  the  Run.  He  then  coolly  rode  back  to  the 
Union  lines. 

While  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  not  entirely  accom 
plished,  valuable  information  of  the  force  and  position  of  the 
enemy  was  obtained.  So  the  expedition  was  not  entirely 
fruitless  in  its  results.  It  was  not  abandoned  because  the 
enemy  had  been  successful  in  any  of  its  assaults,  but  for  the 
reason  that  General  Grant,  after  personally  inspecting  the 
position  and  intrenchments  of  the  enemy,  did  not  deem  it  wise, 
under  all  the  conditions,  to  force  the  crossing  of  Hatcher's 
run  and  assault  the  intrenched  position  of  the  Confederate 
force. 

The  Regiment  remained  in  position  near  Fort  Bross  until 
the  last  day  of  the  month.  The  muster  rolls  were  made  out 
at  this  place. 

In  October  the  Regiment  lost  a  number  of  men  in  killed  and 
wounded,  while  in  the  fortifications  around  Petersburg.  Charles 
H.  Groves,  Company  A.,  was  wounded  October  nth;  Albert 
Thomas,  of  Company  B,  was  wounded  October  8th;  Lieutenant 
John  A.  Lord,  of  Company  D,  was  wounded  October  I5th,  and 
was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  City  Point;  Albert  E.  Hutchins, 

1  Reported  on  Company  Rolls  as  killed  Oct.  17th. 


252  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

(4th  Me.),  Company  E,  was  killed  Oct.  yth,  while  on  picket 
and  was  buried  east  of  Fort  Hell.  George  E.  Chase,  of  Com 
pany  F,  was  killed  October  22nd,  while  walking  from  the  rear 
to  the  works  in  front;  Benson  Potter,  of  Company  G,  was  killed 
while  on  picket  October  5th;  Joseph  Nelson,  (4th  Me.),  of  the 
same  Company,  was  killed  October  i6th;  Albert  S.  Rowe,  (from 
Fifth  Company  unassigned  Infantry),  also  of  Company  G,  was 
mortally  wounded  Oct.  22nd,  and  died  Nov.  25th.  Frank 
Brown  and  Byron  G.  Waters,  of  Company  H,  were  wounded 
October  >3th,  and  the  latter  died  from  the  effects  of  his 
wound,  April  28th,  1865.  James  M.  Tyler,  of  Company  H,  was 
killed  by  the  enemy  October  24th.  John  Simpson,  (4th  Me.), 
Company  K,  was  wounded  October  23rd. 


LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP  253 


CHAPTER  XV. 

t 

LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP  AND  BATTLE  OF 
HATCHER'S  RUN. 

Immediately  after  returning  from  the  Battle  of  Boydton 
Road,  the  Regiment  was  assigned  to  Fort  Haskell,  where  it 
remained  until  the  2Qth  day  of  November.  This  fort  was 
named  for  Frank  A.  Haskell,  the  gallant  colonel  of  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Wisconsin,  who  was  killed  while  leading  our  Brigade  at 
the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor.  Fort  Haskell  was  between  Forts 
Stedman  and  Morton,  and  was  near  the  extreme  right  of  the 
Petersburg  intrenchments.  It  was  only  a  mile,  on  an  air  line, 
from  the  Appomattox  river.  During  the  occupation  of  this 
fort,  the  Regiment  was  constantly  exposed  to  the  shot  and 
shell  of  the  enemy's  artillery  and  the  bullets  of  their  sharp 
shooters. 

Soon  after  our  return  from  the  Boydton  Road  expedition, 
Sergeant  Silas  Adams,  of  Company  F,  was  promoted  Captain 
of  Company  B,  Forty-first  United  States  Colored  Troops. 
From  that  time  until  the  close  of  the  war,  Captain  Adams 
served  on  staff  duty,  with  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Second 
Brigade,  First  Division,  Twenty-fifth  Corps. 

Early  in  November,  1864,  some  of  our  men  were  doing 
picket  duty  in  front  of  Fort  Haskell.  There  was  a  pond  in 
front  of  the  fort  and  our  picket  line  was  between  this  pond  and 
the  Confederate  pickets.  On  the  night  of  November  5th,  the 
enemy  dammed  up  the  outlet  of  this  small  pond,  in  order  to 
raise  the  water  over  which  our  pickets  had  to  pass  and  repass 
in  going  to  and  coming  from  their  stations.  They  were  always 
posted  and  relieved  at  night.  There  was  a  foot-bridge  across 
the  pond,  utilized  by  our  pickets  in  crossing  the  water.  Just 
before  midnight,  three  companies  of  the  Forty-first  Alabama, 
under  command  of  General  Gracie,  who  was  killed  the  next 
month  by  a  shot  from  Fort  Morton,  captured  thirty-two  men 


254  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

on  this  advanced  picket  line,  twelve  of  whom  were  from  the 
Nineteenth.  This  feat  was  accomplished  by  the  Alabamians 
without  firing  a  gun.  The  next  morning  the  water  in  the  pond 
was  found  to  be  considerably  above  the  footbridge.  This 
affair  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  Confederates  were  fast 
learning  "Yankee  tricks."  General  Hancock  stated  on  the 
8th  of  November  that  the  insecure  picket  line  was  due  to 
"inattention  on  the  part  of  the  officers."  The  men  of  the  Nine 
teenth  who  were  caught  in  this  trap  and  taken  prisoners  were 
John  Cochran  (4th  Me.),  Company  A;  Emery  A.  McAllister 
(4th  Me.),  Jonathan  S.  Nickerson  and  Edward  Randall  (4th 
Me.),  Company  D;  William  H.  Shales  (4th  Me.),  Company  E; 
Corporal  William  C.  Rowe  (4th  Me.),  George  A.  Arris  and 
Philip  R.  Armstrong  (4th  Me.),  Company  F;  Charles  H.  Jackson, 
Company  G;  and  Sumner  Merrill,  John  H.  Jewell  (4th  Me.)  and 
William  I.  Heal  (4th  Me.),  Company  H. 
Colonel  Starbird  wrote  as  follows: 

"On  the  resignation  of  Colonel  J.  W.  Welch,  Captain  Fogler,  who 
already  held  the  commission  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  but  not  mustered , 
was  commissioned  Colonel;  Major  Starbird,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
Captain  J.  W.  Spaulding,  Major.  Captain  Fogler  returned  to  the 
Regiment,  but,  as  he  was  still  suffering  from  his  wound,  he  deemed  it 
best  to  leave  the  service  and,  without  being  mustered  under  the  com 
mission  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  or  Colonel,  was  discharged  from  the 
service  for  disability,  on  his  resignation,  November  2nd,  1864,  much 
to  the  regret  of  all.  The  resignation  of  Captain  Fogler  left  vacant 
the  position  of  Colonel,  which  was  filled  by  the  promotion  of  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Starbird.  Major  Spaulding  was  commissioned  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  and  Captain  David  E.  Parsons,  Company  A,  Major. 
Surgeon  J.  Q.  A.  Hawes,  having  resigned  his  commission,  was  dis 
charged  November  2nd,  1864.  Assistant  Surgeon  W.  H.  Randall 
was  promoted  to  Surgeon,  to  rank  from  November  llth.  Benjamin 
Bussey  Jr.,  M.  D.,  reported  to  the  Regiment  from  Maine,  with  a  com 
mission  of  Assistant-Surgeon,  and  was  mustered  into  that  rank,  No 
vember  20th. 

"Lieutenant  E.  H.  Rich,  who  had  been  on  detached  service  in  the 
Provost-Marshal's  Department  in  Maine,  reported  to  the  Regiment 
November  19th,  1864,  and  on  December  3rd  was  detailed  to  command 
the  provost-guard  at  headquarters,  Second  Army  Corps.  First  Lieu 
tenant  and  Quartermaster  Albert  Hunter  was  detailed  for  service  in 
the  Quartermaster's  department,  at  Second  Corps  headquarters. 
Captain  Oliver  R.  Small  was  detailed  as  acting  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General,  and  Lieutenant  William  H.  Tripp  as  Aide-de-camp  at  head 
quarters,  First  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Second  Corps.  Captain 
Ansel  L.  White  was  detailed  as  Ordnance  Officer  at  headquarters  of 
our  Division.  These  officers  remained  on  detached  service  until  the 
close  of  the  war." 


LAST.WINTER  IN  CAMP  255 

While  occupying  Fort  Haskell,  some  of  the  boys  of  Com 
pany  K,  conceived  the  idea  of  making  some  ginger  snaps. 
They  had  contrived,  by  stealing  or  otherwise,  to  procure  some 
flour.  A  bottle  of  Jamaica  ginger,  somewhat  diluted,  was 
used  to  impart  the  necessary  flavor.  A  can  of  condensed  milk 
was  added  and  the  mixture  was  rolled  on  the  clean  side  of  a 
board,  employing  an  empty  bottle  for  a  rolling  pin.  The 
dough  was  cut  into  cakes  of  proper  shape,  with  the  cover  of 
a  blacking  box,  and  baked  in  an  improvised  oven,  dug  in  the 
ground.  When  they  had  taken  on  a  good  dark  color,  they 
were  removed  from  the  oven  and  served  hot.  The  boys  looked 
rather  silly  while  eating  and  it  was  noticed  that  no  one  asked 
for  a  second  helping.  One  fellow,  who  seemed  to  have  more 
trouble  than  the  others  in  separating  the  portion,  in  his  mouth, 
which  he  proposed  to  swallow,  from  the  part  he  intended  to 
spit  out,  remarked  that  "The  cook  must  have  stepped  in  the 
dough  while  it  was  rising." 

The  presidential  election  in  1864  occurred  on  the  8th  of 
November.  Maine  soldiers,  absent  from  the  state,  were  per 
mitted  to  vote  and  have  their  votes  counted  as  though  they 
had  voted  at  home.  The  voting  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  took 
place  at  Fort  Haskell,  in  the  presence  of  S.  S.  Marble,  the 
Commissioner  from  Maine.  The  vote  in  the  Regiment  stood 
129  for  Lincoln  and  31  for  McClellan.  The  combined  vote  of 
the  Maine  soldiers  was  Lincoln  4174  and  McClellan  741.  It  is 
curious  to  note  the  result  of  votes  for  president  in  some  of  the 
organizations.  The  Fourth  Maryland  Regiment  cast  272  votes 
for  Lincoln,  but  not  a  vote  for  McClellan!  The  fighting  and 
voting  of  those  Marylanders  were  serious  matters  with  them. 

While  the  Regiment  was  occupying  Fort  Haskell  in  Nov 
ember,  1864,  Austin  Cunningham  (4th  Me.),  of  Company  C, 
was  wounded  November  26th,  three  days  before  leaving  the 
fort.  Thomas  Barwise  (4th  Me.),  of  the  same  Company,  was 
wounded  November  i4th.  William  J.  Brown,  of  Company  D, 
was  wounded  November  2nd  and  H.  D.  Morse,  (4th  Me.),  of 
Company  F,  is  reported  as  having  been  taken  prisoner  Nov 
ember  3oth.  John  M.  Currier,  (Fifth  Company  f  unassigned  In 
fantry),  Company  G,  was  wounded  Nov.  i8th.  Albert  Long- 


256  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

ly,  (Company  unassigned  infantry),  of  Company  G,  was 
wounded  November  6th.  Peter  Kendrick,  of  Company  G,  was 
killed  while  on  picket  in  the  month  of  November.  In  Com 
pany  H,  Louis  E.  Hopkins  was  wounded  November  2yth 
and  John  S.  Wilson  died  of  wounds  received  at  Petersburg 
November  i3th.  Wesley  Rich  (4th  Me.),  of  Company  I,  was 
taken  prisoner  at  Gettysburg  and  died  in  prison  at  Belle  Isle, 
November  i8th,  1864,  without  ever  having  seen  the  company  to 
which  he  had  been  assigned.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Samuel 
D.  Small  of  the  same  company,  a  prisoner,  who  died  at  the 
same  place  three  days  before  his  comrade. 

The  Battle  of  Boydton  Road  was  the  last  engagement  in 
which  General  Hancock  led  the  Second  Corps  against  the 
Confederates.  Indeed,  it  was  the  last  engagement  in  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  in  which  he  participated.  About  the  middle 
of  November,  General  Hancock's  wounds  were  still  giving  him 
trouble  and  he  asked  for  a  leave  of  absence  from  the  army, 
to  enable  him  to  visit  his  home  and  obtain  medical  care  and 
rest  for  a  short  time.  At  General  Grant's  suggestion,  General 
Hancock  undertook  to  raise  a  new  Army  Corps,  to  be  composed 
exclusively  of  veterans.  Grant  thought  that  Hancock's 
popularity  would  enable  him  to  do  this  without  much  difficulty. 
Hancock  was  to  relieve  Sheridan  in  the  Valley,  which,  in  the 
early  spring  of  1865  he  did,  and  to  assume  command  of  the 
troops  already  in  the  Valley  District,  adding  to  the  command 
his  own  veteran  Corps  which  he  might  organize.  On  November 
26,  1864,  General  Hancock  relinquished  the  command  of  the 
Second  Corps  and  Major-General  A.  A.  Humphreys  was  assigned 
to  the  Corps  as  his  successor  and  commanded  the  Corps  until  the 
close  of  the  War.  In  taking  leave  of  the  Corps,  General  Han 
cock,  in  General  Orders  No.  44,  dated  November  26,  1864, 
paid  the  following  tribute  to  the  old  Corps: 

"I  desire  at  parting  with  you  to  express  the  regret  I  feel  at  the 
necessity  which  calls  for  our  separation.  Intimately  associated  with 
you  in  the  dangers,  privations  and  glory  which  have  fallen  to  your  lot 
during  the  memorable  campaigns  of  the  past  two  years,  I  now  leave 
you  with  the  warmest  feelings  of  affection  and  esteem.  Since  I  have 
had  the  honor  to  serve  with  you,  you  have  won  the  right  to  place  upon 
your  banners  the  historic  names  of  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville, 
Gettysburg,  Wilderness,  Po,  Spottsylvania,  North  Anna,  Cold  Harbor, 


LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP  25.7 

Petersburg,  Reams'  Station,  Boydton  Road  and  many  other  contests. 
The  gallant  bearing  of  the  intrepid  officers  and  men  of  the  Second 
Corps  in  the  bloodiest  fields  of  the  war,  the  dauntless  valor  displayed 
by  them  in  many  brilliant  assaults  on  the  enemy's  strongest  positions, 
the  great  number  of  guns,  colors  and  prisoners  and  other  trophies  of 
war  captured  by  them  in  many  desperate  combats,  their  unswerving 
devotion  to  duty  and  heroic  constancy  under  all  the  dangers  and  hard 
ships  which  such  campaigns  entail,  have  won  for  them  an  imperishable 
renown  and  the  grateful  admiration  of  their  countrymen.  The  story 
of  the  Second  Corps  will  live  in  history,  and  to  its  officers  and  men 
will  be  ascribed  the  honor  of  having  served  their  country  with  unsur 
passed  fidelity  and  courage.  Conscious  that  whatever  military  honor 
has  fallen  to  me  during  my  association  with  the  Second  Corps  has  been 
won  by  the  gallantry  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  I  have  commanded, 
I  feel  that  in  parting  from  them,  I  am  severing  the  strongest  ties  of  my 
military  life." 

General  Grant,  in  his  Memoirs,    pays    General    Hancock 
the  following  tribute: 

"Hancock  stands  the  most  conspicuous  figure  of  all  the  general 
officers  who  did  not  exercise  a  separate  command.  He  commanded 
a  corps  longer  than  any  other  one,  and  his  name  was  never  mentioned 
as  having  committed  in  battle  a  blunder  for  which  he  was  responsible. 
He  was  a  man  of  very  conspicuous  personal  appearance.  Tall,  well- 
formed,  and,  at  the  time  of  whicn  I  now  write,  young  and  fresh-looking, 
he  presented  an  appearance  that  would  attract  the  attention  of  an 
army  as  he  passed.  His  genial  disposition  made  him  friends,  and  his 
personal  courage  and  his  presence  with  his  command  in  the  thickest 
of  the  fight,  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  troops  serving  under  him 
No  matter  how  hard  the  fight,  the  Second  Corps  always  felt  that  their 
commander  was  looking  after  them." 

General  Humphreys  had  been  General  Meade's  Chief-of- 
staff  for  over  a  year.  He  commanded  a  Division  of  the  Third 
Corps  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  He  bore  little  resemblance 
to  General  Hancock  in  personal  appearance.  He  was  a  small 
man,  physically,  and  his  manners  were  simple  and  singularly 
pleasant.  General  Humphreys  was  a  very  scholarly  man,  and 
had  belonged  to  the  Corps  of  Engineers.  He  was  cool  and  brave 
in  battle  and  was  an  officer  of  the  greatest  merit.  He  will  be 
remembered  by  the  survivors  of  the  Nineteenth  as  almost 
invariably  wearing  a  small,  bright  red  necktie. 

The  writer  remembers  General  Humphreys  in  May,  1883, 
as  President  of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He 
had  served  the  Society  for  one  year  as  its  President  and  some 
of  General  Grant's  friends  desired  to  elect  him  as  Humphreys^ 
successor.  Humphreys  evidently  sympathized  with  this  move 
ment.  Generals  Grant  and  Newton  had  been  placed  in  nomina- 


258  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

tion.  On  the  floor  of  the  assembly,  objections  were  made  to 
Grant  upon  the  ground  that  he  was  never  a  member  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  but  was  with  the  Army  for  a  season, 
while  commanding  all  of  the  Union  Armies.  General  Hum 
phreys,  with  some  feeling,  replied  to  these  objections.  "I  may 
be  mistaken,  but  I  am  pretty  sure  I  saw  Grant  in  battle  with 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  several  times  during  the  last  year  of 
the  War."  Nevertheless,  General  Newton  won  in  the  election. 

General  Webb,  the  brave  and  beloved  commander  of  the 
old  Brigade,  who  had  been  seriously  wounded  while  leading  us 
at  Spottsylvania,  May  i2th,  1864,  returned  to  the  army,  at 
General  Meade's  request,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  as  his  Chief- 
of-stafT,  succeeding  General  Humphreys  in  that  position.  It 
seemed  good  to  the  boys  to  see  General  Webb  again  in 
the  saddle.  He  continued  with  General  Meade  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  honorably  mustered  out  of  the 
volunteer  service,  January  I5th,  1866,  and  resigned  from  the 
regular  army,  December  5th,  1870.  He  was  appointed  Brevet 
Major-General  in  the  volunteer  service  August  ist,  1864,  and  to 
the  same  rank  in  the  regular  army,  March  i3th,  1865,  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  service  during  the  war.  He  was  awarded  a 
Congressional  gold  medal  of  honor,  "for  distinguished  personal 
gallantry  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg."  After  leaving  the 
army,  General  Webb  was  president  of  the  College  City  of  New 
York,  for  thirty-three  years.  He  is  still  living  in  that  city, 
honored  by  a  grateful  people. 

On  the  day  that  Humphreys  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  Second  Corps,  General  Gibbon  wrote  to  General  Meade 
that  he  regarded  Humphreys'  assignment  to  the  command  of  the 
Corps  as  a  reflection  upon  himself.  Gibbon  asked  to  be  relieved 
of  his  present  command.  General  Gibbon  was  a  fine  officer, 
but,  perhaps,  he  was  unduly  sensitive.  General  Grant  made 
such  a  complimentary  indorsement  upon  Gibbon's  letter  that 
the  request  to  be  relieved  was  withdrawn.  Gibbon  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Army  Corps 
the  middle  of  December. 

Brigadier-General  William  Hays  succeeded  Gibbon  as 
commander  of  the  Division.  He  was  the  same  officer  who 


LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP  259 

commanded  the  Second  Corps  from  Gettysburg  to  the  Rap- 
pahannock.  Hays  and  Smythe  and  Barlow,  each  for  a  short 
time,  commanded  our  Division  until  the  close  of  the  War. 

In  General  Gibbon's  valedictory  to  the  Division,  he  used 
this  appreciative  language: 

"For  nearly  two  years  you  have  served  under  my  command,  and 
during  this  period  we  have  passed  through  many  bloody  battles  to 
gether.  I  have  always  found  you  faithful,  patriotic  and  brave.  The 
bones  of  your  dead  and  the  mangled  forms  of  your  wounded  comrades 
testify  to  your  gallantry  on  many  hard-fought  fields." 

Colonel  Starbird  furnished  the  following  information  for 
the  history  of  the  Regiment: 

"We  moved  out  of  Fort  Haskell  November  29th,  and  to  the  left 
a  short  distance,  and  the  next  day  moved  farther  to  the  left  and  went 
into  camp  near  Patrick  Station.  The  Regiment  began  preparations 
for  building  winter  quarters  the  first  day  of  December.  From  the 
formation  of  the  Regiment,  in  August,  1862,  to  December,  1864,  there 
had  been  three  surgeons  and  seven  assistant  surgeons.  These  frequent 
changes  had  been  detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of  the  men,  and 
Colonel  Starbird  determined  that  these  changes  should  cease  unless 
caused  by  sickness  or  death.  His  stand  in  the  matter  had  the  desired 
effect.  There  were  no  further  resignations.  Doctors  Randall  and 
Bussey  remained  with  and  faithfully  served  the  Regiment  until  the 
close  of  the  war. 

"Captain  J.  W.  Spaulding,  who  went  to  Maine,  September  7th, 
1864,  on  sick  leave,  and  was  later  detailed  as  Inspector  in  the  Provost- 
Marshal's  office  at  Augusta,  returned  December  1st,  and  on  December 
2nd  was  mustered  into  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  The  field 
and  staff  were  now  complete,  the  first  time  for  many  months. 

"The  work  of  building  winter  quarters  went  on  rapidly  and  all 
were  happy  in  the  prospect  of  a  few  months'  rest  after  the  long  cam- 

Eaign,  commencing  with  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  5th.  There 
ad  occurred  many  changes,  resulting  from  the  hard  service.  The 
vacancies  among  the  officers  had  been  filled.  Sixty-four  men  had 
been  added  and  with  renewed  courage,  stimulated  by  the  prospect 
of  bringing  the  war  to  a  close,  all  went  to  work  with  a  will  to  prepare 
for  the  active  work  which  the  next  campaign  would  surely  have  for 
them.  Substantial  houses  were  constructed  and  a  comfortable  guard 
house,  with  cots  and  gun-racks,  and  a  fire-place,  large  enough  to  keep 
the  men  comfortable,  when  off  duty.  The  camp  guard  duty,  which 
formerly,  in  cold  weather,  had  been  disliked,  was  now  performed  with 
pleasure.  When  relieved,  after  twenty-four  hours'  continuous  service, 
the  men  came  off  duty  clean  and  comfortable.  After  the  guard-house 
and  quarters  for  the  men  had  been  constructed,  the  houses  for  the 
officers  were  built. 

"When  the  Regiment  was  properly  housed,  an  order  was  given 
that  each  and  every  man  be  inspected  and  all  deficiencies  in  equipment 
and  clothing  be  noted,  and  requisitions  made  therefor,  by  each  com 
pany  commander.  Anticipating  that  the  clothing  in  use  would  be 
worn  out  by  spring,  new  clothing  was  furnished  the  men  then,  to  be 
carefully  kept  for  inspection,  reviews  and  parades,  fland  the  old 


260  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

worn  for  all  other  duty.  This  method  gave  the  men  a  bright,  clean 
appearance  whenever  the  Regiment  paraded.  The  result  of  this 
arrangement  was  very  satisfactory.  The  men  took  great  pride  in 
the  appearance  of  the  Regiment  when  on  reviews  with  the  other  reg 
iments  of  the  Brigade  and  Division.  Their  appearance  on  public 
occasions  not  only  stimulated  their  esprit  de  corfys,  but  caused  them 
to  be  objects  of  favorable  comment  throughout  the  Division,  and 
added  to  their  reputation  and  standing.  The  winter  was  passed  very 
pleasantly.  The  Regiment  became  efficient  in  drill  and  discipline 
and  in  many  ways  was  a  marked  organization.  Pride  is  a  basic  attri 
bute  of  the  good  soldier.  If  a  soldier  is  well  clothed  and  well  fed,  he 
has  respect  for  himself  and  a  pride  in  his  company  and  regiment.  It 
was  ordered  by  the  Division  commander  that  a  certain  number,  who, 
on  competitive  inspection  should  present  the  most  soldierly  appear 
ance,  should  be  furloughed.  By  far  the  larger  number  of  furloughs 
fell  to  the  men  of  the  Nineteenth. 

"While  the  men  were  engaged  in  the  duties  of  camp  life,  a 
strong  and  persistent  effort  was  made  to  have  those  absent  on  de 
tached  service  relieved  and  returned.  Men  belonging  to  the  Regi 
ment  could  be  found  at  nearly  every  headquarters  in  the  Corps,  and 
in  Washington  and  in  some  ot  the  states.  These  absentees  were  called 
for  and  their  return  requested.  This  effort  resulted  in  the  return  of 
nearly  all  and  gave  a  largely  increased  command  for  the  spring  cam 
paign." 

Calvin  B.  Hinkley  was  promoted  to  be  Captain  of  Company 
B,  December  2nd,  1864.  While  the  most  of  the  commissioned 
officers  of  the  Regiment,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  had  worked 
their  way  up  from  the  ranks,  Hinkley  was  the  only  captain,  at 
the  date  of  muster  out,  who  had  served  in  the  Regiment  as  a 
private  soldier.  He  enlisted  July  2ist,  1863,  and  came  to  the 
Regiment  as  a  recruit.  He  was  promoted  to  be  Sergeant, 
December  loth,  1863,  and  passed  through  the  successive  grades 
until  he  became  Captain.  Captain  John  A.  Lord,  of  Company 
A,  Captain  T.  B.  Beath,  of  Company  C,  and  Captain  E.  A. 
Burpee,  of  Company  I,  began  their  service  as  corporals.  Cap 
tain  E.  C.  Pierce,  of  Company  D,  Captain  Nehemiah  Smart,  of 
Company  E,  Captain  A.  L.  White,  of  Company  F,  and  Captain 
O.  R.  Small,  of  Company  K,  were  appointed  Sergeants  at  the 
organization  of  the  Regiment.  Captain  Lincoln,  of  Company 
H,  entered  the  service  as  First  Lieutenant,  and  was  promoted 
to  be  Captain,  December  ist,  1862,  soon  after  the  resignation  of 
Captain  Eaton  of  that  Company.  Captain  Lincoln  left  the 
Regiment  in  1863  and  is  borne  on  the  Company  rolls  as  on 
'  recruiting  service"  in  Maine,  and  never  returned  to  the  Regi 
ment.  Captain  Addison  W.  Lewis,  of  Company  G,  entered 
the  service  on  the  4th  of  October,  1864,  as  Captain  of  the 


LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP 


26l 


Fifth  Company,  unassigned  infantry,  and  when  his  Company 
was  broken  up  and  assigned  to  the  different  Companies  of  the 
Regiment,  he  went  to  Company  G  as  its  last  Captain  and  was 
discharged  June  i9th,  1865. 

Owing  to  the  detail  of  Quartermaster  Albert  Hunter  to 
Second  Corps  headquarters,  Adjutant  Henry  Sewall  was 
assigned  as  acting  Quartermaster  and  Lieutenant  Oliver  R. 
Small  filled  the  position  of  Adjutant  until  his  promotion  to 
Captain,  and  then  Lieutenant  William  H.  Gerrish  succeeded 
him. 

The  following  roster  of  the  officers  January  i ,  1865,  was  fur 
nished  by  Colonel  Starbird. 


Field  and  Staff 


Isaac  W.  Starbird 
Joseph  W.  Spaulding 
David  E.  Parsons 
William  H.  Randall 
Benjamin  Bussey,  Jr. 
George  W.  Hathaway 
Henry  Sewall 
Albert  Hunter 


John  A.  Lord 
George  Studley 


Calvin  B.  Hinkley 
Alfred  E.  Nickerson 
Clarendon  W.  Gray 


Thomas  P.  Beath 
James  H.  Pierce 
Henry  W.  Nye 


Elbridge  C.  Pierce 
Charles  Bennett 
Franklin  Adams 


Nehemiah  Smart 
Edward  B.  Sargent 
George  H.  Paige 

Ansel  L.  White 
Edwin  H.  Rich 
Joseph  B.  Babson 


Company  A 
Company  B 

Company  C 
Company  D 
Company  E 
Company  F 


Colonel 

Lieutenant-Colonel 

Major 

Surgeon 

Assistant  Surgeon 

Chaplain 

Adjutant 

Quartermaster 


Captain 

Second  Lieutenant 


Captain 

First  Lieutenant 

Second  Lieutenant 


Captain 

First  Lieutenant 

Second  Lieutenant 


Captain 

First  Lieutenant 

Second  Lieutenant 


Captain 

First  Lieutenant 

Second  Lieutenant 


Captain 

First  Lieutenant 

Second  Lieutenant 


262  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Company  G 

Addison  W.  Lewis  -  -    Captain 

George  P.  Wood  -         -  First  Lieutenant 

Company  H 

Willard  Lincoln  -  -  *  Captain 

Charles  P.  Garland  -         -  First  Lieutenant 

William  H.  Tripp        -  -     Second  Lieutenant 

Company  I 

Edgar  A.  Burpee         -  -         -     Captain 

William  B.  Sawyer  -         -  First  Lieutenant 

Company  K 

Oliver  R.  Small  -    Captain 
Beniah  P.  Doloff  First  Lieutenant 

William  L.  Gerrish  -     Second  Lieutenant 

Very  few  changes  occurred  in  the  above  list  of  officers, 
prior  to  the  close  of  the  war. 

Major-General  B.  F.  Butler  was  relieved  of  his  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  James  and  the  Department  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  on  the  8th  of  January,  1865.  The  order  re 
lieving  him  was  made  by  the  President  and  upon  the  recom 
mendation  of  General  Grant,  who  stated  that  "the  good  of  the 
service"  required  his  removal,  inasmuch  as  Butler  was  'an 
unsafe  Commander  for  a  large  army."  He  was  succeeded  by 
Major-General  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  who  was  a  Marylander  by  birth 
and  who  became  Major-General  of  Volunteers  in  May,  1862. 
The  three  senior  Major-Generals  in  the  United  States  Volunteers, 
appointed  May  16,  1861,  were  Dix,  Banks  and  Butler.  These 
were  time  serving  and  political  appointments. 

General  Butler  was  a  Democrat  and  voted  for  Jeff  Davis  in 
the  Charleston  convention  in  1860.  But  from  the  very  first 
manifestation  of  armed  hostility  to  the  Union,  no  one  ever,  for 
a  moment,  was  in  doubt  as  to  the  attitude  and  loyalty  of  Butler. 
But  acknowledging  his  great  administrative  ability,  and  giving 
him  credit  for  his  splendid  services  at  New  Orleans  and  his 
honorable  record  as  Commissioner  for  the  exchange  of  pris 
oners,  yet  he  was  relieved  of  his  command  none  too  soon.  He 
had  never  been  successful,  as  a  commander  of  troops  in  the  field. 
From  Big  Bethel  to  Fort  Fisher,  his  failures  were  almost  un 
varying.  Whenever  work  was  committed  to  him  requiring 
military  skill,  promptness  in  execution  and  bravery  and 


LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP  263 

vigilance  in  battle,  General  Butler  was  a  dismal  failure.  He 
was  ordered  to  his  home  in  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  and  the  war 
was  finished  without  his  further  services,  much  to  his  dis 
appointment. 

Some  time  after  Butler's  removal,  Kautz's  Cavalry 
Division,  Gibbon's  Twenty-fourth  Corps,  Birney's  Division  of 
colored  troops  and  other  small  detachments  were  brought  over 
from  the  Army  of  the  James  and  attached  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  for  the  serious  work  of  the  last  campaign. 

The  month  of  January,  1865,  was  a  time  of  comparative 
quiet.  The  Regiment  performed  regular  camp  duties,  with 
daily  drills  and  occasional  reviews.  About  the  first  of  February, 
an  expedition  was  planned  by  General  Meade  to  break  in  upon 
the  Confederate  route  for  obtaining  their  supplies  from  the 
south  over  the  Weldon  railroad.  At  this  time  the  Confederates 
were  accustomed  to  run  their  trains  on  the  Weldon  railroad 
north,  as  far  as  Jarratt's  depot  and  sometimes  as  far  as  Stony 
Creek  Station,  on  the  Nottoway  River.  From  these  points 
they  would  convey  their  supplies  by  teams  across  the  country 
to  the  South  Side  railroad  or  by  Dinwiddie  Court  House  and 
thence  into  Petersburg  by  the  most  direct  route  open  to  them. 
When  the  troops  for  this  project  moved  from  the  Union  in- 
trenchments,  Gregg's  Cavalry  Division  started  for  Dinwiddie, 
followed  by  the  supporting  column  of  the  Fifth  Corps.  General 
Miles'  Division  of  the  Second  Corps  held  the  left  of  the  Union 
intrenchments.  General  Humphreys,  with  the  other  two 
Divisions  of  the  Second  Corps,  the  Second  and  Third,  under 
Generals  Smyth  and  Mott,  was  to  keep  up  connection  with 
Miles  on  the  right  and  with  Warren's  Fifth  Corps  on  the  left. 
The  Fifth  Corps  crossed  Hatcher's  run  near  where  Gravelly 
run  empties  into  the  former,  and  marched  across  the  country 
in  the  direction  of  Dinwiddie  Court  House  until  they  came  to 
the  Vaughn  road.  After  remaining  in  that  position  for  a  time 
the  Corps  marched  up  the  Vaughn  road  and  then  took  a  cross 
road  which  led  to  the  Boydton  road  until  they  came  to  the 
vicinity  of  Dabney's  mill.  The  right  of  the  Fifth  Corps  then 
rested  on  Hatcher's  run  and  the  left  of  the  Corps  with  General 
Gregg  on  its  flank,  stretched  off  toward  the  Boydton  road. 


264  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Now  with  this  explanation  it  may  be  easier  to  understand 
the  movements  of  our  own  Division.  The  Regiment  with  the 
Brigades  of  the  Division,  early  in  the  morning  of  February  5th, 
was  massed  at  the  McDougall  house.  Preceeded  by  a  small 
force  of  cavalry  the  Division  pushed  on  toward  Armstrong's 
mill  just  north  of  where  the  Vaughn  road  crossed  Hatcher's 
run.  The  Nineteenth  crossed  Hatcher's  run,  driving  the 
Confederate  skirmishers  back.  The  Seventh  West  Virginia 
Regiment  from  the  Third  Brigade  of  our  Division,  also  crossed 
Hatcher's  run.  The  men  of  the  Regiment  soon  had  possession 
of  the  rifle  pits  of  the  enemy.  The  rest  of  the  Division  on  the 
east  or  north  side  of  Hatcher's  run  now  pushed  north  towards 
Armstrongs.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  enemy 
made  an  attack  on  the  Second  Division  line  and  about  an  hour 
later  made  another  attack  on  our  Division  and  at  the  same  time 
attacked  vigorously  the  Fifth  Corps  on  our  left.  The  right  of 
the  Second  Division  was  near  the  Thompson  House.  The  at 
tack  between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  upon  the 
right  of  our  Division  line  indicated  that  the  enemy  meant  to 
break  through  if  possible.  General  Humphreys  sent  to  Miles 
to  borrow  a  Brigade  and  also  called  for  McAllister's  Brigade 
of  Mott's  Division  from  the  south  side  of  the  run  and  put  them 
in  to  strengthen  the  right  of  our  Division  line.  We  succeeded 
in  holding  the  enemy  in  check. 

When  the  Union  skirmishers  advanced  in  the  morning  of 
February  sixth,  it  was  found  that  the  Confederates  had  with 
drawn  into  their  intrenchments.  Warren's  Corps  with  Gregg 
was  in  position  on  the  south  or  west  side  of  Hatcher's  run  and 
Wheaton's  Division  of  the  Sixth  Corps  was  with  them  as  a  sup 
port.  These  troops  pushed  on  toward  the  Boydton  Road  but 
were  met  by  the  Confederates  on  the  afternoon  of  February 
sixth,  near  Dabney's  mill  and  were  driven  back.  The  Con 
federates  were  in  heavy  force  here.  At  noon  on  the  sixth,  the 
Regiment  recrossed  Hatcher's  run  and  joined  the  Brigade. 

The  following  is  the  report  of  Colonel  Spaulding,  who 
was  in  command  of  the  Regiment  at  Hatcher's  run. 

"This  regiment  left  its  camp  in  front  of  Fort  Emery  at  6  a.  m., 
the  fifth  instant.  Marched  shortly  after  with  the  Division  out  about 


LAST  WINTER  IN  CAMP  265 

two  miles  and  a  half  on  the  Vaughn  road,  and'filed  to  the  right  into 
a  by-road.  Before  reaching  the  Armstrong  house,  and  while  on  the 
march,  General  Smyth  ordered  me  to  move  the  Regiment  in  line  of 
battle  off  to  the  left;  this  was  done,  deploying  two  companies  as  skir 
mishers  in  front.  When  the  skirmish  line  reached  Hatcher's  Run 
the  enemy's  videttes  were  posted  on  the  opposite  bank,  but  imme 
diately  fell  back  to  their  skirmish  line,  which  lay  in  a  rifle-pit  running 
parallel  to  and  about  ten  rods  from  the  opposite  bank.  The  skir 
mishers  crossed  the  run  and  were  r  eld  under  cover  until  the  Regiment 
crossed,  which  could  only  be  done  by  one  man  crossing  at  a  time  on 
a  fallen  tree.  The  skirmishers  then  showed  themselves  and  engaged 
the  enemy's  skirmishers.  In  less  than  fifteen  minutes  after  the  firing 
began  the  enemy  ran  from  their  rifle-pit,  which  was  immediately 
occupied  by  our  skirmish  line.  This  line,  increased  by  two  more 
companies,  now  made  connection  on  its  right  with  the  line  on  this 
side  of  the  run;  about  one  hour  after,  the  skirmishers  of  the  Third 
Division  advancing,  made  connection  with  our  left.  At  4.30  p.  m. 
the  enemy  advanced  upon  this  line  (which  was  immediately  strength 
ened  by  two  more  companies),  but  was  checked,  and  in  about  an  hour 
driven  back. 

"At  12m.,  the  sixth  instant,  this  Regiment,  having  been  relieved 
by  troops  from  the  Fifth  Corps,  rejoined  the  Brigade,  and  threw  up 
breast- works  in  the  afternoon.  Lay  in  this  position  until  the  evening 
of  the  10th  instant,  when  the  Regiment  was  deployed  and  engaged 
until  12  at  night,  in  digging  pits  for  the  picket-line,  and  remained  as 
pickets  until  5  p.  m.  of  the  eleventh  instant,  when  it  was  relieved  and 
moved  into  its  present  camp." 

The  casualties  in  the  Second  Corps  amounted  to  about 
140  in  killed  and  wounded.  Included  in  the  list  of  killed  in 
the  Second  Corps  was  Colonel  Murphy  of  the  Sixty-ninth  New 
York,  who  had  been  for  some  time  commanding  the  Second 
Brigade  of  our  Division.  Colonel  Murphy  was  regarded  very 
highly  as  a  Brigade  commander  and  had  been  complimented 
more  than  once  for  his  bravery  on  the  field  of  battle. 

The  result  of  the  engagement  on  the  fifth  and  sixth  of 
February  was  to  extend  the  Union  intrenchments  to  the 
Vaughn  road  crossing  of  Hatcher's  Run.  The  Second  Corps 
now  held  the  left  of  the  army  and  the  Fifth  Corps  was  massed 
in  our  rear. 

The  Confederate  line  was  stretched  for  so  great  a  distance 
that  it  was  mighty  thin  and  weak  in  places. 

For  some  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Hatcher's  Run,  the 
Regiment  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Armstrong  house. 

CASUALTIES  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  AT  HATCHER'S 

RUN. 

February  5th  to  7th,  1865. 

Company  A 

Arthur  E.  Charles,  died  February  9th,  1865,  of  wounds  received 
at  Hatcher's  Run. 


266  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

Company  B 

Charles  F.  Jewell,  prisoner,  February  6th,  1865. 
Company  D 

John  S.  Moore,  mortally  wounded,  February  5th;  died  the  same 
day. 

Company  -I 
Frederick  Rosignal,  prisoner.  .1 

Henry  W.  Nye,  who  was  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  C, 
was  discharged  February  27,  '65.  George  A.  Barton  was 
promoted  Second  Lieutenant  of  Company  G,  January  3oth,  '65, 
and  Second  Lieutenant  William  L.  Gerrish,  of  Company  K, 
died  February  nth.  Lieutenant  Gerrish  was  acting  Adjutant 
of  the  Regiment  and  died  of  congestive  chills,  after  a  very 
short  illness.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Bowdoin  College,  a 
scholarly  man,  and  well  fitted  for  the  position  which  he  had 
won  by  his  bravery  and  soldierly  bearing. 

The  conduct  of  the  Nineteenth  during  its  winter  en 
campment  added  much  to  its  reputation  for  sobriety  and 
trustworthiness.  An  amusing  incident  occurred  on  the  first 
of  January,  which  is  worth  recording.  The  officers  of  the  Regi 
ment  were  invited  to  Brigade  headquarters  to  participate  in  the 
festivities  of  New  Year's  evening.  All  the  officers  were  re 
quested  to  assemble  at  the  Colonel's  tent  at  the  proper  hour  and 
go  together.  After  assembling,  the  officers  formed  in  two  ranks, 
Colonel  Starbird  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding  forming 
the  first  file  and  so  on  down,  according  to  rank.  Upon  arriving 
at  Brigade  headquarters,  all  were  conducted  into  a  tent,  where 
there  were  tables  loaded  with  the  good  things  of  life  as  far  as 
they  could  be  procured  in  that  locality.  As  the  officers  stood  in 
line,  they  were  first  offered,  beginning  with  those  highest  in  rank, 
some  of  that  nourishment  which  is  said  to  cool  a  man  in  summer 
and  quicken  his  circulation  in  winter.  To  the  surprise  of  officers 
from  other  regiments,  it  was  declined  from  the  right  to  the  left 
of  the  line.  All  did  justice,  however,  to  the  more  solid  viands. 
After  passing  a  pleasant  evening  and  forming  to  march  out  of 
the  tent  as  they  had  entered,  Captain  Smart,  a  man  of  con- 

1  Frederick  Rosignal  was  mustered  into  the  service  February  29th, 
1864.  He  was  a  prisoner  at  the  close  of  the  war  and  was  captured 
near  the  time  of  this  battle.  The  records  do  not  disclose  the  precise 
date  of  capture. 


LAST  WINTER   IN  CAMP  267 

siderable  humor,  said  to  Colonel  Starbird:  "The  next  time 
we  go  to  Brigade  headquarters,  I  think  it  would  be  best  to 
march  left  in  front !" 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  Fifty-ninth  New  York  Regiment,  on  March  i3th,  and 
at  his  own  request  was  relieved  and  returned  to  the  Regiment 
on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  so  that  he  might  be  with  his 
own  boys  in  the  spring  campaign.  Subsequently  he  was 
highly  complimented  by  the  officers  of  the  Fifty-ninth  and 
presented  with  a  beautiful  badge. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  war  there  had  been  a  vexatious 
lack  of  harmony  between  some  of  the  governors  of  the  seceded 
states  and  the  Davis  government.  This  was  particularly  true 
of  Governors  Vance,  of  North  Carolina,  and  Brown,  of  Georgia. 
The  "encroachments"  of  the  National  government  had  stimu 
lated  their  imagination  before  the  war,  but  later  they  experi 
enced  the  relentless  tyranny  of  the  Confederate  authorities.  In 
the  spring  and  summer  of  1862  a  long  and  acrimonious  corres 
pondence  between  Governor  Brown,  probably  the  ablest  of 
their  governors,  and  Jeff  Davis  took  place.  Governor  Brown 
contended  that  the  Confederate  conscription  act  was  unconsti 
tutional  and  protested  against  its  execution  as  a  "rapid  stride 
toward  military  despotism."  Against  this  bold  and  dangerous 
"usurpation"  by  the  Confederate  Congress,  he  threatened  to  use 
the  military  force  of  the  state. 

As  early  as  April  1864,  Mr.  Stephens,  the  Vice-president  of 
the  Confederacy,  had  denounced  Jeff.  Davis  as  "weak,  vascillat- 
ing,  timid,  petulant,  peevish  and  obstinate"  and  characterized 
his  administration  as  one  of  "weakness  and  imbecility." 

Governor  Vance,  also,  had  troubles  of  his  own.  As  illus 
trating  the  amenities  of  this  turbulent  period  and  Vance's  esti 
mation  of  the  impressment  laws  and  the  moral  worth  of  the  Con 
federate  cavalry,  doing  duty  in  his  state,  the  following  letter  is 
introduced: 

"State  of  North  Carolina,  Executive  Department, 

Raleigh,  December  21,  1863. 
Hon.  James  A.  Seddon, 

Secretary  of  War. 
Dear  Sir:— 

I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  an  evil  which  is  inflicting  great 


268  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE   REGIMENT 

distress  upon  the  people  of  this  state  and  contributing  largely  to  the 
public  discontent.  I  allude  to  illegal  seizures  of  property  and  other 
depredations  of  an  outrageous  character  by  detached  bands  of  troops, 
chiefly  cavalry.  The  Department,  I  am  sure,  can  have  no  idea  of  the 
extent  and  character  of  this  evil.  It  is  enough  in  many  cases  to 
breed  a  rebellion  in  a  loyal  county  against  the  Confederacy,  and  has 
actually  been  the  cause  of  much  alienation  of  feeling  in  many  parts 
of  North  Carolina.  It  is  not  my  purpose  now  to  give  instances  and 
call  for  punishment  of  the  offenders — that  I  do  to  their  commanding 
officers — but  to  ask  if  some  order  or  regulation  for  the  government 
of  troops  on  detached  service,  the  severe  and  unflinching  execution  of 
which  might  not  check  this  stealing,  pilfering,  burning,  and  sometimes 
murderous  conduct.  I  give  you  my  word  that  in  North  Carolina  it 
has  become  a  grievance,  intolerable,  damnable,  and  not  to  be  borne. 
If  God  Almighty  had  yet  in  store  another  plague  worse  than  all  others 
which  he  intended  to  have  let  loose  on  the  Egyptians  in  case  Pharaoh 
still  hardened  his  heart,  I  am  sure  it  must  have  been  a  regiment  or 
so  of  half-armed,  half-disciplined  Confederate  cavalry.  Had  they 
been  turned  loose  among  Pharaoh's  subjects,  with  or  without  an  im 
pressment  law,  he  would  have  become  so  sensible  of  the  anger  of  God 
that  he  never  would  have  followed  the  children  of  Israel  to  the  Red 
Sea!  No,  sir,  not  an  inch!  Cannot  officers  be  reduced  to  the  ranks 
for  permitting  this?  Cannot  a  few  men  be  shot  for  perpetrating  these 
outrages,  as  an  example?  Unless  something  can  be  done,  I  shall  be 
compelled  in  some  sections  to  call  out  my  militia  and  levy  actual  war 
against  them.  I  beg  your  early  and  earnest  attention  to  this  matter 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

Z.  B.  Vance." 

The  following  is  the  indorsement   of  the    Secretary    of 
War: 

"December  25,  1863. 
Adjutant-General : 

Can  you  suggest  or  do  you  advise  a  general  order  to  avert  the 
threatened  disasters  which  so  affect  Governor  Vance's  imagination 

J.  A.  S., 

Secretary." 

As  the  winter  wore  away,  evidences  began  to  multiply 
showing  that  the  great  Rebellion  was  reaching  the  last  ditch. 
As  month  succeeded  month,  the  feeling  of  confidence  grew  that 
we  were  rapidly  approaching  the  end  of  the  contest.  Early 
in  January,  1865,  General  Grant  had  issued  and  had  printed  a 
Special  Order,  with  respect  to  the  treatment  to  be  accorded  to 
deserters  from  the  Confederate  Army.  These  deserters  who 
came  to  us  were  to  be  employed  in  the  Quartermaster's  depart 
ment  when  they  desired  employment.  No  military  service  was 
to  be  required  of  them,  and  when  they  brought  arms,  mules, 
horses  or  other  property  into  our  lines,  they  were  to  be  paid  the 
'  highest  price"  which  such  property  was  worth.  Extraordinary 
efforts  were  made  to  give  this  special  order  wide  circulation, 


LAST  WINTER   IN  CAMP  269 

where  it  would  do  the  most  good.  Every  cavalry  squadron  on 
a  raid  into  the  enemy's  country  left  copies  of  this  order  at 
houses  and  in  old  intrenchments.  Copies  were  thrown  out 
between  the  picket  lines  at  night  and  bundles  with  stones  at 
tached  thrown  far  toward  their  lines  in  the  day  time.  These 
furnished  good  reading  to  the  homesick  and  discontented 
Confederates,  who,  by  means  of  deception,  fraud  or  force,  had 
been  made  unwilling  soldiers.  This  literature,  together  with 
the  logic  of  events,  began  to  bear  fruit. 

In  February,  1865,  General  Lee  began  calling  the  attention 
of  the  officials  of  the  crumbling  Confederacy  to  the  'alarming 
frequency  of  desertions"  from  the  Confederate  army.  At  one 
time  in  February,  he  reported  four  hundred  desertions  in 
twelve  days  from  the  Divisions  of  Wilcox  and  Heth  alone.  He 
reported  again  the  same  month  that  hundreds  of  men  were 
deserting  "nightly."  In  ten  days,  from  February  5th  to 
February  I5th,  Lee  informed  his  government  that  1094  men  had 
deserted  from  the  infantry  troops  alone,  some  of  whom  had 
come  into  our  lines.  On  January  23rd,  General  Anderson 
reported  that  desertions  were  increasing  in  his  Division. 

Colonel  Lang,  commanding  Finegan's  Brigade  in  Mahone's 
Division,  reported  that  on  January  lyth,  four  men,  occupying 
a  pit  on  the  picket  line,  were  suspected  of  an  intention  to  desert 
and  a  sentinel  was  placed  on  guard  over  them,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  pit.  During  the  night  the  six  men  walked  into  our  lines! 
They  were  Florida  soldiers. 

Stringent  measures  were  adopted  to  keep  the  Confederate 
soldiers  from  deserting,  from  leaving  the  ranks,  and  even  from 
talking  discouragingly  of  the  gloomy  outlook.  By  general 
orders,  issued  February  22nd,  1865,  General  Lee  provided  for 
one  file-closer  for  every  ten  men.  These  file-closers  were  to  be 
"carefully  instructed  in  their  duties  by  regimental  commanders." 
Among  the  duties  prescribed  for  them,  were  to  promptly  "cut 
down  and  fire  upon"  men  who  refused  to  advance,  disobeyed 
orders,  retreated  or  used  words  "calculated  to  produce  alarm 
among  the  troops."  * 

In  January,  1865,  we  find  Governors  Brown,  of  Georgia,  and 

L  *t.  J  w-  R-  Vo1-  46>  Part  2,  page  1249. 


270  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Vance,  of  North  Carolina,  corresponding  with  reference  to  a 
convention  of  the  governors  of  some  of  the  secession  states, 
squinting  toward  a  second  secession.  Governor  Vance  ex 
pressed  the  fear  that  a  severance  of  existing  relations  could 
not  possibly  be  effected  with  such  unanimity  as  to  prevent 
a  considerable  minority — backed  by  the  army  inaugurating 
"a  state  of  anarchy  more  horrible  than  anything  yet  endured." 
They  balked  at  further  "domestic  strife  and  bloodshed."  The 
medicine  they  swallowed  with  bravado  in  1861,  was  beginning 
to  operate  in  a  different  manner  frorn  what  they  had  dreamed. 
Henry  S.  Foote,  a  member  of  the  Confederate  congress 
from  Tennessee,  having  become  discouraged  or  disgusted,  was 
endeavoring,  with  his  wife  to  get  out  of  the  Confederacy.  He 
hoped  to  get  through  the  lines  unmolested.  He  was  arrested, 
however,  at  Occoquan,  a  small  village  twenty-five  miles  south  of 
Alexandria,  and  taken  back  to  Richmond.  Our  War  Depart 
ment  sent  to  Occoquan  and  brought  Mrs.  Foote  to  Washington. 
Foote  was  United  States  Senator  from  Mississippi  from  '47  to 
'52  and  beat  Jeff  Davis  in  the  canvass  for  Governor  of  that 
state  in  1852.  He  frequently  spoke  against  secession  in  Ten 
nessee  in  1861.  Mr.  Foote  was  released  at  Richmond,  upon 
the  recommendation  of  the  Confederate  congress,  after  his  ap 
plication  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  had  been  granted.  He  went 
north  to  New  York  and  thence  to  Europe.  Mr.  Foote  begged 
the  privilege  of  returning  to  the  United  States  within  three 
months.  He  stated  that  there  was  a  "solemn  compact  entered 
into"  between  most  of  the  Tennessee,  a  large  minority  of 
the  North  Carolina,  Georgia  and  Alabama,  and  a  small  por 
tion  of  the  Mississippi  and  Virginia  delegations  in  the  Confed 
erate  congress,  that  "if  peace  was  not  speedily  restored,  they 
would,  in  defiance  of  Jeff  Davis  and  the  war  faction,  stump 
their  respective  states  for  immediate  reunion  with  the  Federal 
states."  Foote,  who  never  had  much  love  for  Davis,  stated 
that  all  well-informed  citizens  of  the  South  knew  their  cause 
was  doomed  to  failure. 

On  the  3rd  of  February,  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary 
Seward  had  an  interview,  in  Hampton  Roads,  on  board  of  a 
steamer,  with  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  J.  A.  Campbell  and 


LAST  WINJ.ER    IN    CAMP  2JI 

R.  M.  T.  Hunter  from  Richmond.  Lincoln  went  down  to  meet 
these  men  at  the  suggestion  of  General  Grant.  The  interview 
was,  in  the  language  of  the  Confederate  commissioners,  "to 
ascertain  upon  what  terms  the  existing  war  can  be  terminated 
honorably."  When  President  Lincoln  informed  these  three 
gentlemen  that  three  things  were  indispensably  necessary  to  the 
termination  of  the  war,  viz:  "The  restoration  of  the  National 
authority  throughout  all  the  states,  the  freedom  of  the  slaves 
and  the  disbanding  of  all  forces  hostile  to  the  Government/* 
these  three  gentlemen  shouldered  their  baggage  and  their 
humiliation  and  returned  to  Richmond,  sadder  and  wiser  men. 
Stephens  was  vice-president  of  the  so-called  Confederacy  and 
originally  a  Union  man.  Campbell  was  from  Alabama  and  had 
been  formerly  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  but  resigned  in  1861  and  went  south.  Hunter  had 
been  United  States  Senator  from  Virginia  and  was  expelled 
from  the  Senate  in  July  1861,  after  his  withdrawal,  to  try 
secession  with  his  State. 

The  Confederates  had  begun  their  preparations  for  arming 
the  negroes  in  February  and  March,  1865.  It  was  a  measure 
adopted  in  their  extremity  and  as  a  last  resort.  It  was  with 
them  a  serious  question  how  extensively  or  how  willingly  their 
slaves  would  engage  in  a  war,  the  express  object  of  which  was  to 
continue  them  and  their  children  in  everlasting  bondage.  The 
war  closed  so  soon  that  this  problem  was  never  solved. 

There  has  been  a  concerted  efTort  in  the  South,  during  the 
last  few  decades,  to  demonstrate  that  slavery  was  not  the  cause 
of  the  war.  The  reflection  that  a  wicked  and  causeless  war  was 
precipitated  upon  the  country  and  the  fair  Southland  was  made 
desolate  and  her  sons  given  a  sacrifice  for  the  perpetuation  of 
human  slavery,  does  not  leave  a  good  taste  in  the  mouth.  After 
President  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation  had  been  issued, 
Jefferson  Davis,  in  a  message  to  the  Confederate  Congress  spoke 
of  that  proclamation  as  "the  most  execrable  measure  recorded 
in  the  history  of  guilty  man."  There  is  chiselled  into  the  gran 
ite  monument  that  marks  the  grave  of  Mr.  Davis  in  Richmond, 
the  recital  that  he  was  the  "Defender  of  the  Constitution." 
This,  in  itself,  would  be  amusing,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that 
there  are  a  few  people  left  who  believe  the  inscription  to  be  true. 


272  THE   NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

PRISONERS  OF  WAR. 

"The  difference  between  the  martyr  and  the  victim,  the 
soldier  who  falls  on  the  field  of  honor  and  a  man  who  meets  a 
miserable  death  from  preventable  causes  for  which  his  govern 
ment  is  criminally  respon  ible,  is  as  wide  as  the  celestial  diam 
eters.  The  one  meets  death,  compensated  in  the  thought  that 
his  life  is  given  in  the  protection  of  his  country's  flag  and  honor; 
the  other  is  ignominiously  forced  to  the  grave  through  the  neg 
lect  of  the  government  that  shamefully  fails  to  protect  the  life 
he  offered  in  its  defence." 

The  author  of  the  above  lines  is  unknown  to  the  writer  of 
this  history,  but  he  desires  to  adopt  them  as  his  own.  Of  all  the 
horrors  that  are  remembered  in  connection  with  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  the  most  pitiful  and,  to  a  large  extent,  prevent 
able,  are  the  large  number  of  prisoners  who  died  of  disease  and 
starvation  in  Confederate  prisons.  The  exact  number  will 
never  be  known.  From  thirteen  to  fifteen  thousand  were 
buried  at  Andersonville  prison — the  very  name  of  which  has 
become  a  synonym  for  unbelievable  brutality  and  fiendishness. 
In  the  Andersonville  list  of  martyrs,  Maine  furnished  nearly 
three  hundred.  The  imperfectly  kept  records  disclose  the 
names  of  232  Maine  soldiers.  Of  this  number,  thirty-two 
soldiers  came  from  the  Nineteenth  Maine.  As  nearly  as  can 
be  ascertained,  our  Regiment  had  more  than  fifty  men  who 
died  in  the  prisons  of  the  South.  These  numbers  include  the 
members  of  the  Fourth  Maine,  who  died  after  their  transfer 
to  our  Regiments.  * 

No  one  in  the  North  believes  today  that  Confederate  sol 
diers  were  starved  to  death  in  Northern  prisons.  The  mortality 
among  these  soldiers  was  very  great.  It  is  generally  thought 
that  climatic  influences  was  a  potent  factor  in  producing  such 


PRISONERS  OF    WAR  273 

appalling  mortality.  Confederate  soldiers  from  the  Gulf  states 
must  have  suffered  extremely  from  the  cold  winters  at  Elmira, 
New  York,  on  Johnson's  Island  and  at  Chicago,  especially  where 
the  prison  consisted  of  an  open  stockadge,  as  at  Elmira.  In 
"Regimental  Losses,"  by  Colonel  W.  F.  Fox,  a  statement  is 
made,  which  the  writer  has  never  seen  denied:  that  the  field  in 
which  three  thousand  Confederate  soldiers  were  buried  at  El 
mira  was  plowed  very  soon  after  the  war  and  sowed  with  wheat. 
"Now  the  grain  of  summer  and  the  snow  of  winter  show  no 
sign  of  the  hapless  Confederates  who  are  buried  and  rest  beneath 
its  surface."  This  statement  causes  a  blush  of  shame  to  mantle 
the  cheeks  of  every  self-respecting  Union  soldier  who  met  these 
brave  but  misguided  Confederates  on  the  field  of  battle. 

There  must  have  been  some  causes  thought  to  be  sufficient 
which  set  aside  Union  prisoners  to  languish  and  to  die  in  prison, 
instead  of  paroling  and  exchanging  them.  That  cause  is  not 
far  to  seek.  The  truth  ought  to  be  plain  now,  however  much 
writers  have  attempted  to  cloud  the  issue  and  misrepresent  the 
facts.  A  history  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine  would  be  incomplete 
without  some  reference  to  its  soldiers  who  were  left  to  languish 
and  die  in  these  prison  pens.  If  the  Confederate  government 
refused  to  exchange  prisoners  with  our  government,  then  there 
is  not  much  to  be  said.  If,  however,  the  exchange  of  prisoners 
was,  through  deceit  and  jugglery,  deliberately  prevented  by 
our  own  government,  that  fact,  in  all  fairness,  ought  to  be  re 
corded. 

On  the  iQth  of  April,  1861,  President  Lincoln  issued  a 
proclamation,  in  which  he  declared  that  all  persons  taken 
prisoners  from  Rebel  privateers  which  had  begun  to  destroy 
our  shipping,  should  "be  held  amenable  to  the  laws  of  the 
United  States  for  thepreventation  and  punishment  of  piracy." 
In  plain  language,  this  meant  that  they  should  be  hung.  Soon 
after  this  proclamation  was  issued,  the  Union  tars  captured 
the  Rebel  privateers  "Jeff  Davis,"  "Savannah,"  "Petrel"  and 
others,  and  with  them,  quite  a  number  of  prisoners.  One  of 
these  prisoners,  a  certain  William  Smith,  taken  from  the  "Jeff," 
Davis,"  was  tried  before  a  United  States  court  in  Philadelphia 
in  October,  1861,  for  the  crime  of  piracy,  and  was  found  guilty. 


274  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

There  were  upwards  of  fifty  privateer  prisoners  left  fcr  trial. 
President  Davis  sent  a  letter  to  President  Lincoln,  on  July  6th, 
1 86 1,  calling  attention  to  the  rumored  attitude  which  our 
government  proposed  to  take  with  respect  to*  privateer  prison 
ers,  and  offering  to  exchange,  man  for  man,  the  naval  prisoners 
held  by  both  governments.  Davis  informed  the  President  in 
this  letter  that  he  proposed  to  deal  out  to  the  prisoners  held 
by  him  the  same  treatment  and  the  same  fate  experienced  by 
the  Confederate  privateersmen.  There  is  no  evidence  that  this 
letter  was  ever  answered.  On  November  9th,  General  Winder, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Confederate  War  Department,  drew 
by  lot  the  name  of  Michael  Corcoran — Colonel  of  the  Sixty- 
ninth  New  York  Regiment,  as  a  hostage  to  answer  for  Smith. 
Thirteen  other  officers — all  field  officers  but  three — were  then 
drawn  by  lot  to  answer  for  a  like  number  of  Confederate  prison 
ers  of  war  captured  at  sea  by  the  Union  navy.  Among  these 
officers  were  Colonels  Lee,  of  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts,  and 
Cogswell,  of  the  Forty-second  New  York  Regiment,  both  of 
which  regiments  were  in  our  Brigade  the  last  year  of  the  war. 
After  some  months  of  weighing  consequences,  these  Confederate 
seamen  were  paroled  and  exchanged.  This  fiasco  ended  the 
hanging  of  Confederate  privateersmen,  and  for  a  short  time 
interrupted  the  exchange  of  prisoners. 

During  the  first  two  years  and  a  half  of  the  war  the  parol 
ing  and  exchanging  of  prisoners,  with  some  friction  occasionally 
manifested,  went  on  without  serious  interruption..  On  July 
23rd,  1862,  a  general  cartel  for  the  paroling  and  exchanging  of 
prisoners  was  agreed  upon  and  signed  on  behalf  of  their  respec 
tive  governments  by  Major-General  Dix  for  the  United  States 
and  Major-General  D.  H.  Hill  for  the  Confederate  government. 
This  agreement  was  ratified  by  the  respective  governments.  It 
included  "  all  prisoners  of  war  held  by  either  party."  This  cartel 
provided  (Art.  4)  that  all  prisoners  of  war  should  "be  discharged 
on  parole  in  ten  days  after  their  capture."  Surplus  prisoners 
upon  either  side  not  exchanged  were  not  permitted  to  take 
up  arms  nor  perform  any  military  duty  until  regularly  ex 
changed.  Aiken's  Landing,  on  the  James  river,  and  Vicksburg, 
on  the  Mississippi,  were  the  places  designated  for  the  delivery 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  275 

of  paroled  prisoners  until  regularly  exchanged.  In  case  any 
misunderstanding  arose  in  regard  to  any  clause  or  stipulation 
in  the  articles  of  agreement,  it  was  mutually  agreed  that  such 
misunderstanding  should  not  interrupt  the  release  of  prisoners 
on  parole,  but  should  be  made  the  subject  of  "friendly  explana 
tions."  In  the  voluminous  correspondence  between  the  two 
governments  this  general  cartel  is  often  referred  to  by  the  Con 
federate  authorities,  who  simply  demanded  that  its  terms 
should  be  complied  with  by  our  people  in  the  spirit  in  which 
it  was  originally  entered  into  and  ratified. 

Sometimes  the  excess  of  prisoners  was  with  us  and  some 
times  with  the  Confederates.  From  the  date  of  the  cartel  until 
July  ist,  1863,  the  excess  was  generally  in  favor  of  the  Con 
federates.  Subsequent  to  that  date,  the  excess  was  generally 
in  our  favor.  There  was  some  controversy  over  the  prisoners 
paroled  by  General  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  many  of  whom  deserted 
before  General  Pemberton  could  get  them  to  some  central  sta 
tion  within  the  Confederate  lines.  The  Union  authorities 
charged  that  the  Confederates  had  declared  Pemberton's  men 
as  exchanged  without  authority,  and  that  their  action  was  a 
breach  of  the  cartel  on  the  part  of  the  Confederates.  There 
was  also  some  disagreement  between  the  governments  in 
regard  to  the  prisoners  paroled  by  General  Banks  at  Port  Hud 
son. 

General  Butler  was  appointed  Commissioner  for  the  ex 
change  of  prisoners  in  November,  1863,  having  his  headquar 
ters  with  the  Army  of  the  James  and  convenient  to  Aiken's 
Landing.  General  Butler  had  been  "outlawed"  by  the  Con 
federate  government,  and  his  appointment  was  especially 
offensive  to  the  Confederates.  At  first  they  declined  to  have 
any  communication  with  him.  Nauseating,  however,  as  this 
dose  of  medicine  was,  they  gulped  it  down  in  order  to  facilitate 
the  exchange  of  prisoners,  something  which  they  favored  and 
which  might  possibly  have  benefited  them  more  than  us. 

On  the  1 8th  of  November,  1863,  General  Butler,  writing 
from  Fortress  Monroe  to  Secretary  Stanton,  used  the  following 
language: 


276  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

"I  am  informed  and  believe  that  the  Rebel  authorities  will  ex 
change  every  officer  and  soldier  they  now  hold  in  custody,  whether 
colored  or  not,  upon  receiving  an  equivalent  number  in  rank  from  us. 
*  *  *  I  assume  that  we  have,  in  actual  custody,  some  twenty-six 
thousand  prisoners,  against  thirteen  thousand  that  the  Rebels  have. 
Now,  then,  why  may  not  Quid's  proposition  be  accepted,  and  we  ex 
change  man  for  man,  officer  for  officer,  until  the  Rebels  stop?  If  then 
every  prisoner  they  hold  has  been  exchanged,  then  the  question  of 
color  does  not  arise,  and  our  men  will  have  been  relieved  from  starva 
tion  up  to  that  number.  But,  if  the  colored  prisoners  and  their  officers 
shall  not  be  produced  by  the  Rebels  for  exchange,  we  shall  have  ten 
thousand  of  their  men  upon  whom  to  work  both  retaliation  and  re 
prisal  to  the  fullest  extent, — to  wring  from  the  Rebels  justice  to  the 
colored  soldiers.  It  is  not  necessary  to  argue  this  point;  its  statement 
is  the  argument.  This  action — not  offers  and  correspondence — will 
place  the  government  right  before  the  country,  and  if  then  the  Negro 
prisoners,  whether  civilians  or  soldiers  or  their  officers  are  kept  in 
prison  or  maltreated,  the  world  will  justify  us  in  reprisal  and  retaliation 
to  any  extent." 

At  first  the  South  refused  to  parole  any  officers  or  soldiers 
of  Negro  regiments.  This  position,  however,  was  soon  aban 
doned.  But  the  Confederate  government  then  and  always 
claimed  the  right,  where  runaway  slaves  were  captured  while 
wearing  our  uniform,  to  return  them  when  identified,  to  their 
owners,  on  demand.  It  is  not  probable  that  a  hundred  slaves 
were  returned  to  their  owners  in  this  way;  yet  its  importance 
was  purposely  exaggerated  by  our  government  in  order  to  make 
an  excuse  to  give  the  public  for  refusing  to  parole  and  exchange 
the  prisoners  held  by  us. 

Under  date  of  April  gth,  1864,  General  Butler,  as  Com 
missioner  of  exchange,  wrote  a  letter  to  Secretary  Stanton,  in 
which  he  informed  that  official  of  a  recent  interview  he  had  had 
with  Commissioner  Ould  on  behalf  of  the  Confederates  and  of 
their  discussion  of  all  differences  existing  between  the  two 
governments.  Then  General  Butler  adds: 

"In  regard  to  the  paroles,  the  Confederate  commissioner  claims 
nothing,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  which  he  is  not  willing  to  concede  to  us, 
acting  under  the  cartel  and  our  general  orders,  with  the  exception  that 
I  believe  on  both  sides  it  should  be  yielded  that  before  as  well  as 
subsequent  to  order  No.  207,  of  July  3rd,  1863,  paroles  should  not  be 
accepted  by  either  belligerent  of  officers  or  soldiers  who  were  not  so 
far  in  the  power  of  the  captor  as  to  be  taken  to  a  place  of  safety,  and 
I  believe  this  proposition  will  be  agreed  to  by  the  Confederate  com 
missioner.  *  *  *  All  other  points  of  difference  were  substantially 
agreed  upon  so  that  the  exchange  might  go  on  rapidly  and  smoothly, 
man  for  man  and  officer  for  officer  of  equal  rank,  and  officers  for  their 
equivalents  in  privates,  as  settled  by  the  cartel." 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  277 

On  April  ist,  1864,  General  Grant  visited  General  Butler 
at  Fortress  Monroe  and  gave  him  most  emphatic  verbal  orders 
not  to  take  any  steps  by  which  another  able-bodied  man  should  be 
exchanged  until  further  orders  from  him.  General  Grant 
stated  that  by  the  exchange  of  prisoners  we  received  no  men 
fit  to  go  into  our  army,  and  every  soldier  we  gave  to  the  Con 
federates  went  immediately  into  theirs,  so  that  the  exchange 
was  virtually  so  much  aid  to  them  and  none  to  us.1  General 
Grant,  on  the  i4th  of  April,  1864,  sent  the  following  communica 
tion  to  General  Butler:  "Your  report  respecting  negotiations 
with  Commissioner  Quid  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners  of  war 
has  been  referred  to  me  for  my  orders.  Until  examined  by 
me,  and  my  orders  thereon  are  received  by  you,  decline  all 
further  negotiations." 

One  Colonel  D.T.  Chandler,  an  Assistant  Inspector-General, 
August  5th,  1864,  made  a  report  to  General  R.  H.  Chilton, 
Assistant  Adjutant  and  Inspector-General  at  Richmond  de 
scribing  the  conditions  existing  at  Andersonville  and  painting 
such  a  picture  of  the  deplorable  conditions  there,  that  appear 
at  this  time  almost  unbelievable.  General  Chilton  indorsed 
upon  the  report  when  referring  it  to  the  Confederate  Secretary 
of  War  as  follows:  "The  condition  of  the  prison  at  Anderson 
ville  is  a  reproach  to  us  as  a  nation."  When  the  report  reached 
the  Confederate  War  Department,  among  the  things  indorsed 
and  recommended  are  the  following:  "The  discomforts  and 
sufferings  of  the  prisoners  seem  almost  incredible;  and  the  fright 
ful  percentum  of  mortality,  steadily  increasing  until  in  the 
month  of  July  it  had  attained  the  extent  of  62.7  per  one  thou 
sand,  appears  to  be  only  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  criminal 
indifference  of  the  authorities  charged  with  their  care  and 
custody.  No  effectual  remedy  for  all  these  evils  seems  available 
so  long  as  the  numbers  are  in  such  large  excess  over  that  for 
which  the  prison  was  designed ;  but  something  must  be  done  at 
once  to  ameliorate  the  condition  "2 

In  Colonel  Chandler's  report  he  states: 

"There  is  no  medical  attendance  furnished  within  the  stockade. 
Small  quantities  of  medicines  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  certain  prison- 

1  Butler's  Book,  p.  592. 

2W.  R.   Series  II.  Vol.  VII.  p.  550. 


278  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

ers  of  each  squad  or  division  and  the  sick  are  directed  to  be  brought 
out  by  the  sergeants  of  squads  daily  to  'sick-call'  to  the  medical  officers 
who  attend  at  the  gate.  The  crowd  at  these  times  is  so  great  that 
only  the  strongest  can  get  access  to  the  doctors,  the  weaker  ones  being 
unable  to  force  their  way  through  the  press;  and  the  hospital  accom 
modations  are  so  limited  that  though  the  beds  (so-lballed)  have  all  or 
nearly  all  two  occupants  each,  large^ri umbers  who  would  otherwise  be 
received  are  necessarily  sent  back 'to  the  stockade.  Many — twenty 
yesterday — are  carted  out  daily  who  have  died  from  unknown  causes 
and  whom  the  medical  officers  have  never  seen.  The  dead  are  hauled 
out  daily  by  the  wagon  load  and  buried  without  coffins,  their  hands  in 
many  instances  being  first  mutilated  with  axes  in  the  removal  of  any 
finger  rings  they  may  have.  The  sanitary  condition  of  the  prisoners 
is  as  wretched  as  can  be,  the  principal  cause  of  mortality  being  scurvy 
and  chronic  diarrhea,  the  percentage  of  the  former  being  disproportion 
ately  large  among  those  brought  from  Belle  Isle.  Nothing  seems  to 
have  been  done  and  but  little  if  any  effort  made  to  arrest  it  by  procur 
ing  proper  food." 

On  August  1 4th,  1864,  Major-General  Stoneman,  then 
confined  in  the  military  prison  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
and  other  officers  there  confined  with  him,  joined  in  a  petition 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States  urging  the  exchange  of 
prisoners  confined  at  Andersonville.  At  the  same  time  there 
was  a  petition  to  the  same  effect  presented  by  the  Sergeants, 
commanding  squads  in  Andersonville  prison.  It  is  distressing 
to  read  these  appeals  to  our  Government.  Among  these  peti 
tioning  Sergeants  we  find  the  names  of  W.  D.  Gilmore,  Company 
H,  Fourth  Maine,  and  F.  Webers,  Company  G,  Ninth  Maine. 
General  Stoneman  and  the  other  officers  at  Charleston  after 
reciting  the  fact  that  nothing  more  demoralizes  soldiers  and 
develops  the  evil  passions  of  men  than  does  starvation,  and  that 
the  prisoners  at  Andersonville  were  fast  losing  hope,  and  crazed 
by  their  sufferings  were  wandering  about  in  a  state  of  idiocy, 
add  in  their  petition: 

"Few  of  them  have  been  captured  except  in  the  front  of  battle  in 
the  deadly  encounter,  and  only  when  overpowered  by  numbers;  they 
constitute  as  gallant  a  portion  of  our  armies  as  carry  our  banner  any 
where.  If  released  they  would  soon  ret  urn  to  again  do  vigorous  battle 
for  ourcause.  We  are  told  that  the  only  obstacle  in  the  way  of  exchange 
is  the  status  of  enlisted  negroes  captured  from  our  armies ;  the  United 
States  claiming  that  the  cartel  covers  all  who  serve  under  its  flag  and 
the  Confederate  States  refusing  to  consider  the  negro  soldiers,  hereto 
fore  slaves,  as  prisoners  of  war.  We  beg  leave  to  suggest  some  facts 
bearing  upon  the  question  of  exchange  which  we  would  urge  upon  this 
consideration. 

"Is  it  not  consistent  with  the  national  honor,  without  waiving  the 
claim  that  the  negro  soldiers  shall  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  yet 
to  effect  an  exchange  of  the  white  soldiers  ?  The  two  classes  are  treated 


PRISONERS  OF   WAR  279 

differently  by  the  enemy,  the  white  is  confined  in  such  prisons  as  Libby 
and  Andersonville,  starved  and  treated  with  a  barbarism  unknown 
to  civilized  nations;  the  black,  on  the  contrary,  is  seldom  imprisoned; 
they  are  distributed  among  the  citizens  or  employed  upon  Government 
works.  Under  these  circumstances  they  receive  enough  to  eat  and 
are  worked  no  harder  than  accustomed  to;  they  are  neither  starved 
nor  killed  off  by  the  pestilence  in  the  dungeons  of  Richmond  and 
Charleston.  It  is  true  they  are  again  made  slaves,  but  their  slavery 
is  freedom  and  happiness  compared  with  the  cruel  existence  imposed 
mpon  our  gallant  men.  They  are  not  bereft  of  hope,  as  are  the  Union 
soldiers  dying  by  inches.  Their  chances  of  escape  are  tenfold  greater 
than  those  of  the  white  soldiers,  and  their  condition,  viewed  in  all  its 
lights,  is  tolerable  in  comparison  with  that  of  the  prisoners  of  war 
now  languishing  in  the  dens  and  pens  of  'Secession.'  " 

"Let  35,000  suffering,  starving  and  dying  enlisted  men  aid  this 
appeal  to  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  Republic  for  prompt  and  decisive 
action  in  their  behalf;  35,000  heroes  will  be  made  happy.  For  the 
1 ,800  commissioned  officers,  now  prisoners,  we  urge  nothing.  Although 
desirous  of  returning  to  our  duty,  we  can  bear  imprisonment  with  more 
fortitude  if  the  enlisted  men,  whose  sufferings  we  know  to  be  intoler 
able,  were  restored  to  liberty  and  life." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Sergeants  commanding  detachments  of 
prisoners  at  Andersonville  in  July,  1864,  a  preamble  and  address 
were  unanimously  adopted.  This  address  was  couched  in  the 
most  moderate  language  so  as  not  to  offend  the  Confederates 
who  knew  of  the  action  of  the  prisoners.  This  production  of 
the  Andersonville  prisoners  was  carried  through  the  lines  by 
Prescott  Tracy,  a  private  in  Company  G,  Eighty-second  New 
York — a  regiment  belonging  to  our  Brigade.  Tracy  was 
captured  at  the  battle  of  Jerusalem  plank  road  and  paroled  in 
August  1864.  He  saw  General  Stoneman  in  Charleston  and 
secreted  upon  his  clothing  General  Stoneman's  petition  and 
brought  it  through  the  lines.  Both  petitions  were  later  presen 
ted  to  President  Lincoln.  This  address  of  the  Andersonville 
prisoners  is  as  follows: 

"Preamble. — Apparently  one  of  the  effects  of  the  progress  of  this 
terrible  war  has  been  to  deaden  our  sympathies  and  make  us  more 
selfish  than  we  were  when  the  tocsin  of  battle  strife  first  sounded  in  the 
land.  Perhaps  this  state  of  public  feeling  was  to  have  been  antici 
pated.  The  frequency  with  which  you  hear  of  captures  in  battles, 
and  the  accounts  which  you  have  seen  of  their  treatment,  has  robbed 
the  spectacle  of  its  novelty  and,  by  a  law  of  nature,  has  taken  off  the 
edge  of  sensibilities  and  made  them  less  the  subject  of  interest.  No 
one  can  know  the  horrors  of  imprisonment  in  crowded  and  filthy  quar 
ters  but  him  who  has  endured  it,  and  it  requires  a  brave  heart  not  to 
succumb.  But  hunger,  filth,  nakedness,  squalor,  and  disease  are  as 
nothing  compared  with  the  heartsickness  which  wears  prisoners  down , 
most  of  them  young  men  whose  terms  of  enlistment  have  expired,  and 
many  of  them  with  nothing  to  attach  them  to  the  cause  in  which  they 


280  'THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

suffer  but  principle  and  love  of  country  and  of  friends.  Does  the  mis 
fortune  of  being  taken  prisoner  make  us  less  the  object  of  interest  and 
value  to  our  government?  If  such  you  plead,  plead  it  no  longer. 
These  are  no  common  men,  and  it  is  no  common  merit  tnat  they  call 
upon  you  to  aid  in  their  release  from  captivity. 

We,  undersigned  sergeants  in  the  U.  S.  Army,  naving  in  charge 
the  various  detachments  of  prisoners  now  confined  in  Andersonville, 
Ga.,  would  respectfully  represent: 

First:  That  a  large  portion  of  the  prisoners  have  been  held  as 
such  for  periods  ranging  from  nine  to  fifteen  months,  subject  to  all 
hardships  and  privations  incident  to  a  state  of  captivity  in  an  enemy's 
country. 

Second.  That  there  are  now  confined  in  this  prison  from  25,000  to 
30,000  men,  with  daily  accessions  of  hundreds,  and  that  the  mortality 
among  them,  generated  by  various  causes,  such  as  change  of  climate, 
dirt,  and  want  of  proper  exercise,  is  becoming  truly  frightful  to  con 
template,  and  is  rapidly  increasing  in  virulence,  decimating  their  ranks 
by  hundreds  weekly. 

Third.  In  view  of  the  foregoing  facts,  we,  your  petitioners,  most 
earnestly  yet  respectfully  pray  that  some  action  be  immediately 
taken  to  effect  our  speedy  release,  either  on  parole  or  by  exchange, 
the  dictates  both  of  humanity  and  justice  alike  demanding  it  on  the 
part  of  our  Government. 

Fourth.  We  shall  look  forward  with  a  hopeful  confidence  that 
something  will  be  speedily  done  in  this  matter,  believing  that  a  proper 
statement  of  the  facts  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  secure  a  redress  of  the 
grievances  complained  of. 

Fifth.  The  above  has  been  read  to  each  detachment  by  its  respec 
tive  sergeant  and  been  approved  by  the  men,  who  have  unanimously 
authorized  each  sergeant  to  sign  it  as  will  and  deed  of  the  whole." 

These  pitiful  and  heartrending  appeals  fell  upon  deaf  ears. 
Full  authority  with  respect  to  exchange  of  prisoners  was  vested 
in  the  Commander-in-chief  and  he  had  ordered  that  no  further 
exchanges  should  be  made.  This  order  did  not  apply  to  naval 
prisoners.  Special  exchanges  also  of  officers,  who  had  strong 
political  influence  with  their  home  government,  was  constantly 
carried  on. 

On  August  1 9th,  1864,  General  Grant  in  a  letter  to  Secre 
tary  Seward  states  that"  We  ought  not  to  make  a  single  exchange 
nor  release  a  prisoner  on  any  pretext  whatever.  We  have  got 
to  fight  until  the  military  power  of  the  South  is  exhausted,  and 
if  we  release  or  exchange  prisoners  captured  it  simply  becomes 
a  war  of  extermination."  (W.  R.  Vol.  7,  Series  2,  p.  615.) 

On  the  loth  of  August,  1864,  the  Confederate  authorities 
professing  to  be  moved  by  the  suffering  of  the  men  in  prisons 
upon  each  side,  yielded  every  demand  that  they  ever  made  for 
what  they  claimed  to  be  fairness  in  the  exchange  of  prisoners, 


PRISONERS  OF    WAR  28 1 

and  addressed  the  following  letter  to  our  assistant  commissioner 
of   exchange,    at    Fortress    Monroe: 

"RICHMOND,  VA.,  August  10th,  '64. 
MAJ.  JOHN  MULFORD, 

Asst.  Agent  of  Exchange. 

Sir: — You  have  several  times  proposed  to  me  to  exchange  the 
prisoners  respectively  held  by  the  two  belligerents  officer  for  officer 
and  man  for  man.  The  same  offer  has  also  been  made  by  other  offi 
cials  having  charge  of  the  matters  connected  with  tbe  exchange  of 
prisoners.  This  proposition  has  heretofore  been  declined  by  the 
Confederate  authorities,  they  insisting  upon  the  terms  of  the  cartel 
which  required  the  delivery  of  the  excess  upon  either  side  upon  parole. 
In  view,  however,  of  the  very  large  number  of  prisoners  now  held  by 
each  party,  and  the  suffering  consequent  upon  their  continued  confine 
ment,  I  now  consent  to  the  above  proposal  and  agree  to  deliver  to  you 
the  prisoners  held  in  captivity  by  the  Confederate  authorities,  pro 
vided  you  agree  to  deliver  an  equal  number  of  Confederate  officers 
and  men.  As  equal  numbers  are  delivered  from  time  to  time,  they 
will  be  declared  exchanged.  This  proposal  is  made  with  the  under 
standing  that  the  officers  and  men  on  both  sides,  who  have  been  longest 
in  captivity,  will  be  first  delivered,  where  it  is  practicable.  I  shall 
be  happy  to  hear  from  you  as  speedily  as  possible  whether  this  arrange 
ment  can  be  carried  out. 

Respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 
R.  Quid, 

Agent  of  Exchange." 

When  this  letter  was  delivered  there  was  a  statement  of 
the  great  mortality  which  was  hurrying  so  many  Union  prison 
ers  to  the  grave  at  Andersonville.  A  copy  of  this  letter  was 
sent  to  General  Hitchcock,  the  United  States  Commissioner  of 
exchange,  and  also  to  Secretary  Stanton  at  Washington.  By 
continual  pounding,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  twenty  days 
the  following  letter  was  sent  to  the  Confederate  Commissioner 
of  exchange,  under  date  of  August  31,  1864: 

"Hon.  R.  Quid, 

Agent  of  Exchange. 
Sir: 

"I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  favor  of 
to-day,  requesting  answer,  etc.,  to  your  communication  of  the  10th 
inst.,  on  the  question  of  exchange  of  prisoners.  To  which,  in  reply, 
I  would  say,  I  have  no  communication  on  the  subject  from  our  author 
ities,  nor  am  I  authorized  to  make  answer. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

John  E.  Mulford, 

Asst.  Agent  of  Exchange." 

So  far  as  the  records  show,  no  further  attention  was  ever 
paid  to  this  eminently  fair  proposition  on  the  part  of  the  Con 
federate  authorities. 


282  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

Subsequent  to  that  time,  there  was  an  agreement  between 
the  Union  and  Confederate  governments  that  each  side  might 
send  anything  in  the  way  of  eatables,  clothing  and  blankets  to 
their  prisoners  which  it  was  desired  to  send,  Union  officers  who 
were  prisoners  in  the  South  were  selected  to  distribute  what 
was  sent  to  the  Union  prisoners  there,  and  Confederate  officers, 
confined  in  prisons  in  the  North,  were  authorized  to  distribute 
what  was  sent  from  the  South.  This  agreement  was  entered 
into  between  Generals  Grant  and  Lee.  It  went  on  satisfacto 
rily  for  a  while  and  then  there  was  such  a  hue  and  cry  made  that 
the  supplies  for  our  prisoners  in  the  South  were  not  being  fairly 
distributed,  and  were  being  stolen  by  the  Confederate 
authorities,  that,  after  furnishing  a  statement  from  the  Union 
officers  distributing  our  supplies  in  the  South  showing  the  fair 
ness  with  which  the  work  had  been  done,  Commissioner  Ould 
sent  a  communication  stopping  all  further  courtesies  of  that 
kind. 

Some  time  in  the  late  summer  or  early  autumn  of  1864, 
after  consultation  with  General  Grant  and  with  his  approval, 
General  Butler  prepared  a  long  argument  pretending  to  set  forth 
our  side  of  the  controversy  with  the  Confederates,  couched  in 
the  most  offensive  form  possible,  consistent  with  ordinary 
courtesy  of  language  and  forwarded  the  same  to  Mr.  Ould,  the 
Confederate  Commissioner.  This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  out  the  wishes  of  General  Grant  that  no  prisoners  of 
war  should  be  exchanged.  The  claims  set  forth  by  General 
Butler  in  this  letter  were  purposely  made  extravagant.  General 
Butler  has  stated  that  with  the  consent  of  General  Grant,  as 
a  last  resort,  in  order  to  prevent  the  exchange  of  prisoners,  he 
determined  to  demand  that  the  outlawry  against  him  should 
be  formally  reversed  by  the  Confederate  government  and 
apologized  for  before  he  would  enter  into  any  further  negotia 
tions  with  Mr.  Ould.  This  "last  resort"  move  of  Butler  was 
approved  by  General  Grant.  General  Butler's  argument, 
however,  was  sufficient  to  settle  the  Confederntes  for  a  while. 

General  Grant  readily  consented  to  the  exchange  of  naval 
prisoners.  Naval  colored  prisoners  did  not  impede  in  any 
respect  the  exchange  of  prisoners.  General  Butler  wrote  to 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  283 

Secretary  Stanton,  October  3rd,  1864,  complaining  of  this 
procedure.  He  stated  that  "our  soldiers  will  not  be  too  well 
i  le  sed  to  hear  that  sailors  can,  and  soldiers  cannot,  be  ex- 
c hanged. 

To  illustrate  how  important  a  factor  former  slaves  had 
become  in  relation  to  the  subject  to  the  exchange  of  prison 
ers  the  following  correspondence  is  introduced: 

"Headquarters  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 

October  1,  1864. 
Lieut/Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  Commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States: 

'General:  With  a  view  of  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  our 
soldiers,  I  have  the  honor  to  propose  an  exchange  of  the  prisoners  of 
war  belonging  to  the  armies  operating  in  Virginia,  man  for  man,  or 
upon  the  basis  established  by  the  cartel. 

With  much  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  E.  Lee, 

General." 

"Headquarters  Armies  of  the  United  States, 

October  2,  1864. 
General  R.  E.  Lee,  Commanding  Army  of  Northern  Virginia: 

General:  Your  letter  of  yesterday  proposing  to  exchange 
prisoners  of  war  belonging  to  the  armies  operating  in  Virginia  is  received. 
I  could  not  of  a  right  accept  your  proposition  further  than  to  exchange 
those  prisoners  captured  within  the  last  three  days  and  who  have  not 
yet  been  delivered  to  the  Commissary-General  of  Prisoners.  Among 
those  lost  by  the  armies  operating  against  Richmond  were  a  number 
of  colored  troops.  Before  further  negotiations  are  had  upon  the  sub 
ject  I  would  ask  if  you  propose  delivering  these  men  the  same  as  white 
soldiers . 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

U.  S.  Grant, 

Lieutenant-General . ' ' 

"Headquarters  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 

October  3,  1864. 
Lieut.  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant, 

Commanding  Armies  of  the  United  States : 

General:  In  my  proposition  of  the  1st  instant  to  exchange 
the  prisoners  of  war  belonging  to  the  armies  operating  in  Virginia  I  in 
tended  to  include  all  captured  soldiers  of  the  United  States  of  whatever 
nation  and  color  under  my  control.  Deserters  from  our  service  and 
negroes  belonging  to  our  citizens  are  not  considered  subjects  of  ex 
change  and  were  not  included  in  my  proposition.  If  there  are  any  such 
among  those  stated  by  you  to  have  been  captured  around  Richmond 
they  cannot  be  returned. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

R.  E.  Lee, 

General." 


284  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

"Headquarters  Armies  of  the  United  States, 

October  3,  1864. 
General  R.  E.  Lee,  Commanding  Army  of  Northern  Virginia: 

GENERAL:  Your  letter  of  this  date  is  received.  In  answer 
I  have  to  state  that  the  Government  is  bound  to  seoure  to  all  persons 
received  into  her  armies  the  rights  due  to  soldiers.  This  being  denied 
by  you  in  the  persons  of  such  men  as  have  escaped  from  Southern 
masters  induces  me  to  decline  making  tne  exchanges  you  ask.  The 
whole  matter,  however,  will  be  referred  to  the  proper  authority  for  their 
decision,  and  whatever  it  may  be  will  be  adhered  to. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

U.  S.  Grant, 

Lieutenant-General, ' '  1 

Mr.  Ould,  the  Commissioner  of  exchange,  under  date  of 
November  ist,  1864,  in  his  report  to  Mr.  Seddon,  Confederate 
Secretary  of  War,  uses  the  following  language: 

"At  the  time  of  my  last  report,  we  insisted  upon  the  release  of 
all  prisoners,  the  excess  to  be  on  parole.  The  enemy  refused  to  comply 
with  this  plain  requirement  of  the  cartel  and  demanded,  when  a  deliv 
ery  of  the  prisoners  was  made,  an  equal  number  in  return.  Seeing 
the  persistent  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  Federal  Government  to  violate 
this  agreement,  our  authorities,  moved  by  the  sufferings  of  the  brave 
men  who  were  so  unjustly  held  in  Northern  prisons,  determined  to 
abate  their  just  demands,  and  accordingly,  on  the  10th  of  August 
last,  I  offered  to  exchange  the  prisoners  respectively  held  by  the  two 
belligerents,  officer  for  officer  and  man  for  man,  and  only  stipulated 
that  the  officers  and  men  who  had  been  longest  in  captivity  should 
be  first  delivered,  where  it  was  practicable.  Altnough  this  offer  was 
substantially  what  had  often  been  proposed  by  the  Federal  author 
ities,  and  would  have  left  in  their  hands  whatever  excess  of  prisoners 
they  might  have  had,  yet  it  was  not  accepted.  ******* 
Lately  I  have  consummated  an  agreement  for  the  rebase  and  exchange 
of  all  naval  prisoners.  A  partial  delivery  has  already  been  made  and 
another  is  daily  expected,  wnich  will  fully  carry  out  tne  agreement." 

This  report  of  Mr.  Ould  was  not  made  for  publication,  but 
was  furnished  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  Con 
federate  government.  It  may  be  taken  as  settled  that  the 
Confederates  offered  to  exchange  prisoners/'officer  for  officer  and 
man  for  man,"  until  all  the  prisoners  held  by  the  Confederates 
were  exchanged.  And  then  we  would  have  had  nearly  15,000 
Confederate  prisoners  on  our  hands. 

Surgeon  Joseph  Jones  of  the  Confederate  army  was  ordered 
to  inspect  the  Andersonville  Prison,  and  on  October  I9th,  1864, 
made  a  full  report  to  Surgeon-General  Moore  of  the  Confederate 
War  Department.  The  following  extract  shows  some  of  the 

1W.  R.  Series  II,  Volume  VII,  p.  p.  906,  909,  914. 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  285 

horrible  and  revolting  conditions  existing  in  that  prison  and 
endured  by  the  unfortunate  Union  prisoners  there  confined: 

"Since  the  establishment  of  this  prison  on  the  24th  of  February, 
1864,  to  the  present  time,  over  10,000  Federal  prisoners  have  died; 
that  is,  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire  number  have  perished  in  less 
than  seven  months. 

"I  instituted  careful  investigations  into  the  condition  of  the  sink 
and  well  and  performed  numerous  post-mortem  examinations.  The 
medical  topography  of  Andersonville  and  the  surrounding  country 
was  examined,  and  the  waters  of  the  springs,  streams  and  wells  around 
and  within  the  stockade  and  hospital  carefully  analyzed. 

"Diarrhoea,  dysentry,  scurvy,  and  hospital  gangrene  were  the 
diseases  which  have  been  the  main  cause  of  this  extraordinary  mor 
tality.  The  origin  and  character  of  the  hospital  gangrene  which  pre 
vailed  to  so  remarkable  a  degree,  and  with  such  fatal  effect  amongst 
the  Federal  prisoners,  engaged  my  most  serious  and  earnest  consider 
ation.  More  than  30,000  men  crowded  upon  twenty-seven  acres  of 
land,  witn  little  or  no  shelter  from  the  intense  heat  of  a  Southern 
summer,  or  from  the  rain  and  the  dew  of  night,  with  coarse  corn  bread 
from  which  the  husk  had  not  been  removed,  with  but  scant  supplies 
of  fresh  meat  and  vegetables,  with  little  or  no  attention  to  hygiene, 
with  festering  masses  of  filth  at  the  very  doors  of  their  rude  dens  and 
tents,  with  the  greater  portion  of  the  banks  of  the  stream  flowing 
through  the  stockade,  a  filthy  quagmire  of  human  excrements  alive 
with  working  maggots,  generated  by  their  own  filthy  exhalations 
and  excretions,  an  atmosphere  that  so  deteriorated  and  contaminated 
their  solids  and  fluids  that  the  slightest  scratch  and  even  the  bites  of 
small  insects  were  in  some  cases  followed  by  such  rapid  and  extensive 
gangrene  as  to  destroy  extremities  and  even  life  itself. 

"A  large  number  of  operations  have  been  performed  in  the  hos 
pital  on  account  of  gangrene  following  slight  injuries  and  abrasions 
of  the  surface.  In  almost  every  case  of  amputation  for  gangrene  the 
disease  returned,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the  cases  have  terminated 
fatally." 

The  statistics  which  have  been  given  and  quoted  so  often 
since  the  close  of  the  war  with  regard  to  deaths  in  Confederate 
prisons  are  not  reliable.  The  original  records  of  these  prisons 
in  the  possession  of  the  War  Department  are  far  from  being 
complete.  The  War  Department  has  never  secured  the  "  Death 
Registers"  of  the  following  well  known  places  of  confinement 
for  large  numbers  of  Union  soldiers,  viz:  Americus,  Atlanta, 
Augusta,  Macon,  Marietta  and  Savannah,  Ga.;  Camp  Ford, 
Tyler,  Texas;  Charleston,  S.  C;  Lynchburg,  Va.;  Mobile  and 
Montgomery,  Ala.;  and  other  small  prisons  of  the  South.  Only 
partial  records  of  the  prisons  at  Columbia  and  Florence,  S.  C., 
Millen,  Ga.,  and  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  are  in  the  possession  of  the 
War  Department.  While  the  number  of  known  deaths  in  the 


286  THE   NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

Confederate  prisons  is  increasing  yearly,  the  death  number  will 
never  be  definitely  known. 

From  information  contained  in  a  Memorandum  Circular 
issued  by  the  Adjutant-General's  office  in  Washington,  under 
date  of  March  i2th,  1908,  the  tables  below  given  have  been 
made.  The  number  of  Union  soldiers  who  died  in  prison  as 
given  in  one  of  these  tables  includes  only  the  number  actually 
known  to  have  died  in  Confederate  prisons. 

UNION  SOLDIERS. 

Captured  during  the  war 21 1,41 1 

Paroled  on  the  field 16,668 

Died  in  captivity 30,218 

Joined  in  the  Confederate  service 3,161 

Escaped  from  prison 2,744 

CONFEDERATE  SOLDIERS. 

Captured  during  the  war 462,634 

Paroled  on  the  field 247,769 

Died  in  captivity 25,976 

Joined  the  U.  S.  service 5,419 

Escaped  from  prison 1,938 

All  medicines  were  made  contraband  of  war.  The  Con 
federate  authorities  tried  to  purchase  from  the  North,  and  pay 
for  in  cash,  certain  medicines  which  they  pledged  should  be  used 
for  the  treatment  of  our  sick  and  dying  soldiers  in  their  prisons, 
but  our  government  would  not  consent.  At  he  time  small 
pox  prevailed  among  the  Union  prisoners  at  Richmond,  General 
Butler  sent  vaccine  matter  sufficient  for  six  thousand  vaccina 
tions  to  the  Confederate  commissioner  to  be  used  for  the  benefit 
of  our  prisoners. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  the  Confederate  government  offered 
to  surrender  to  us  all  our  sick  and  disabled  prisoners,  without 
any  compensation  at  all.  After  a  long  delay,  as  though  the 
government  grudgingly  assumed  the  expense  of  bringing  these 
Union  invalids  north  and  caring  for  them,  nearly  13,000  were 
delivered  by  the  Confederates  at  Savannah,  without  asking  or 
receiving  any  soldiers  in  exchange. 

On  the  authority  of  General  J.  B.  Imboden,  and  after 
Savannah  had  been  captured  by  General  Sherman,  he  offered 
to  send  all  of  the  prisoners  confined  at  Andersonville  and  some 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  287 

other  places,  to  Saint  Augustine,  Florida,  without  asking  any 
thing  in  return  therefor,  and  the  Union  officer  in  command  at 
that  place  offered  to  receive  them.  After  several  thousand  had 
been  started  and  got  into  the  State  of  Florida,  this  officer  in 
formed  the  Confederate  authorities  that  he  could  not  receive 
them  without  communication  with  General  Grant,  who  was 
then  at  City  Point.  And,  as  short  of  transportation  as  the 
Southerners  were,  these  men  had  to  be  hauled  back  to  Anderson- 
ville.  Whatever  correspondence  was  carried  on  between  these 
parties  cannot  be  found  in  the  War  Records. 

No  attempt  is  made  here  to  palliate  or  excuse  the  brutal 
treatment  of  prisoners  at  Anderson ville.  It  was  doubtless 
true  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  properly  feed  as  many 
prisoners  as  were  confined  there.  The  resources,  the  supplies, 
the  provisions  and  transportation  facilities  the  South  had,  were 
getting  mighty  poor,  in  1864  and  1865.  If  anything  could 
have  been  more  cruel  than  the  treatment  of  our  prisoners  by 
the  Confederates,  it  was  the  criminal  neglect  shown  them  by 
our  own  authorities. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  that  General  Grant  in  refusing  to  ex 
change  prisoners  was  following  the  example  of  General  Washing 
ton,  who  refused  to  exchange  British  prisoners  in  the  War  of 
the  Revolution  for  the  prison  ship  martyrs  confined  in  the 
prison  hulks  in  New  York  Harbor.  This  is  an  unfair  state 
ment.  It  is  true  that  the  British  authorities  offered  to  make 
this  exchange.  Washington  wrote  to  Congress  that  such  an 
exchange  "would  immediately  give  the  enemy  considerable 
reinforcements  and  will  be  a  constant  draft  hereafter  upon  the 
prisoners  of  war  in  our  hands,  while  the  exchange  of  American 
prisoners,  being  captured  while  engaged  in  private  enterprises 
would  return  to  their  homes."  Washington's  words  here 
quoted  furnish  a  justification  for  his  refusal.  The  privateers- 
man  was  neither  a  sailor  nor  soldier  enlisted  in  the  service  of 
his  country.  He  was  engaged  in  a  form  of  private  war  upon  the 
enemy's  commerce  and  one  of  his  principal  motives  was  usually 
financial  profit.  Privateering  was  then  a  legitimate  form  of 
warfare  but  has  now  become  obsolete.  Certainly,  General 
Washington  was  under  no  obligation  to  give  up  British  soldiers 


288  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

captured  in  battle  for  the  private  citizens  held  by  the  British 
government,  who,  if  exchanged,  would  return  to  their  homes 
or  start  out  on  another  privateering  expedition. 

The  "rate  of  exchange,"  computed  in  prisoners,  had  been 
agreed  upon.  In  the  exchange  of  prisoners  it  was  not  always 
possible  to  exchange  man  for  man  in  the  rank  which  the  men 
occupied.  If  there  was  an  excess  of  officers  on  one  side  it  was 
made  up  by  throwing  in  a  few  privates  on  the  other.  Two 
private  soldiers  would  purchase  a  Sergeant,  four,  a  Lieutenant 
and  six,  a  Captain.  It  took  eight  privates  to  equal  a  Major,  ten, 
a  Lieutenant-Colonel,  fifteen,  a  Colonel  and  twenty,  a  Brigadier- 
General.  The  writer  has  seen  cases  where  the  Government 
would  be  cheated  by  swapping  a  private  for  a  Colonel,  or  even 
a  Brigadier-General,  man  for  man. 

From  reports  filed  with  the  Confederate  War  Department 
it  appears  that  there  were  the  following  number  of  prisoners  at 
Andersonville  at  the  dates  given. 

June  1st,       1864 17415 

In  hospital 1039 

Total 18454 

Died  during  month  of  May 1203 

July  1st,                      25005 

In  hospital 1362 

Total 26367 

Died  during  June 1742 

August  1st,                 29985 

In  hospital 1693 

Total 31678 

Died  in  July 2993 

Sept.  1st,        29473 

In  hospital 2220 

Total 31693 

Oct.  1st,         6147 

In  hospital 2071 

Total 8218 

Died  during  Sept 1 560 

Nov.  1st  1729 

In  hospital 2479 

Total 4208 

It  would  appear  that  on  the  ist  of  November  practically 
all  of  the  well  prisoners  had  been  removed  from  Andersonville, 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  289 

Capta'n  Wirz,  then  commanding  the  prison,  reported  that  dur 
ing  the  month  of  October  twenty-eight  had  escaped  from  prison. 
The  approach  of  General  Sherman's  army  caused  the  large 
reduction  in  the  number  of  prisoners  confined  at  that  place. 
There  were  more  prisoners  at  Andersonville  in  the  spring  of 
1865,  than  in  November  1864. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  who  died  in  Confederate  prison.  The  name  of  two 
persons  are  included  in  this  list  who  died  immediately  after  their 
parole.  The  writer  does  not  claim  that  this  list  is  full  or 
entirely  accurate,  but  it  is  more  nearly  accurate  than  any  list 
he  has  ever  seen.  It  is  unquestionably  true  that  the  names 
of  some  few  persons  belonging  to  the  Nineteenth  who  died 
while  in  captivity  will  not  be  found  here. 

NAMES  OF    SOLDIERS  BELONGING  TO  THE    NINETEENTH 

MAINE  REGIMENT  WHO  DIED  IN  CONFEDERATE 

PR.  SDNS,  TOGETHER  WITH    THE  NAME  OF 

THE  PRISON,    WHEN  KNOWN,    AND 

DATE  OF    DEATH. 

Company  A . 

William  Crosby  (4th  Me.),  Andersonville,  Sept.  12,  '64;  Charks 
E.  Day,  Libby  Prison,  Dec.  19,  '64;  Henry  H.  Fairbrother,  reptd., 
died  at  Andersonville  Sept.  28,  '64;  Henry  Leavitt,  Andersonville 
Nov.  1st,  '64. 

Company  B. 

Henry  A.  Dore  (paroled  prisoner),  Annapolis,  Nov.  25,  '63  ;  Thomas 
E.  Snowdeal,  (4th  Me.),  name  appears  as  F.  Snowdale,  Andersonville 
June  10th,  '64. 

Company  C. 

James  H.  Flanders,  Prison  unknown,  Nov.  27th,  '64. 

Company  D. 

James  O.  Bean,  Salisbury  Prison,  January  15,  '65;  Joseph  E. 
Clark  (4th  Me.,  Prison  records  show  L.  Clark),  Andersonville,  Oct. 
2nd,  '64;  John  Cook  (4th  Me.,  Prison  records  show  James  Cook), 
Andersonville,  July  25th,  '64;  Oliver  Cromwell  (Prison  records  show 
W.  H.  Cromwell),  Andersonville,  Oct.  18,  '64;  Hiram  B.  Hoffses 
(Prison  records  show  H.  Hopes),  Andersonville,  December  27th,  '64; 
John  A.  White  (Reported  on  the  muster  roll  as  having  died  at  Ander 
sonville.  Name  not  found  on  Andersonville  records.),  Oct.  1st,  '64. 

Company  E. 

John  Carr,  Andersonville,  Sept.  15th,  '64;  John  Foley,  Anderson 
ville,  June  15th,  '64;  William  Jones,  Andersonville,  August  16th,  '64; 
Samuel  O.  Pease,  Andersonville  Aug.  21,  '64;  Benjamin  Roberts, 
Andersonville  November  23rd,  '64;  Isaac  L.  Sanborn,  Prison  and 
date  of  death  unknown;  Nathan  S.  Winslow  (4th  Me.),  Anderson 
ville,  Aug.  13th,  '64;  Simon  H.  Willey,  Andersonville,  July  10th,  '64. 


290  TNE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Company  F. 

Justus  C.  Briggs,  Andersonville,  Aug.  8th,  '64;  Nathaniel  p.  Gow- 
ell,  (Name  appears  as  N.  Gowell,  Company  F,  Nineteenth  Michigan) 
Andersonville,  Jan.  llth,  '65;  Isaac  Jordan,  (4th  Me.) ,  Andersonville, 
Feb.  6th,  '65;  Hezekiah  D.  Morse,  died  at  Camp  L^vvton  prison,  near 
Miller,  Ga.;  Leonard  B.  Ricker,  Prison  unknown,  Nov.  5,  '64;  Patrick 
Sweeney,  Andersonville,  Aug.  27th,  '64;  James  O.  Stevans,  Libby 
Prison,  February  27th,  '64. 

Company  G. 

James  Ballard  (Prison  records  show  J.  Ballast),  Andersonville 
Oct.  llth,  ,64;  James  Hammond,  Andersonville,  Sept.  10th,  '64; 
Alfred  J.  Marston,  Andersonville,  Sept.  00,  '64;  Albert  Quimby  (4th 
Me.).  Prison  and  date  of  death  unknown. 

Company  H. 

Charles  L.  Bigelow,  Andersonville,  Sept.  3rd,  '64;  Mark  G.  Babb, 
Augusta  Prison,  Ga.,  July  12,  '64;  Charles  Prescott,  Andersonville, 
Jan.  7th,  '65;  Cyrus  L.  Ring  (4th  Me.),  Salisbury  Prison,  Dec.  1st,  '64; 
George  L.  Smith  (paroled  prisoner),  Annapolis,  Oct.  28th,  '64. 

Company  I. 

John  Anderson,  Andersonville,  June  28th,  '64;  Leverett  S.  Boyn- 
ton  (4th  Me.),  reptd,  died  Andersonville,  but  name  does  not  appear 
on  Andersonville  list,  died  Nov.  27,  '64;  Augustus  Burgin,  Ander 
sonville,  Sept.  llth,  '64;  Jeremiah  Kelley,  (Name  appears  as 
J.  Kellar)  Oct.  28th,  '64;  Peter  Larkin  (Reptd.  as  having  died  at  Ander 
sonville,  but  name  not  found  on  Andersonville  list)  died  Oct.  20th,  '64; 
Westley  Rich  (4th  Me.)  Belle  Isle,  Nov.  18th,  '64;  Samuel  D.  Small 
(4th  Me.)  Belle  Isle,  Nov.  15th,  '64;  Corporal  Warren  B.  Thorndyke, 
Andersonville,  March  30th,  '65;  Philo  F.  Washburn,  died  in  prison  at 
Richmond,  Va.,  Jan.  1st,  '64. 

Company  K. 

Reuben  Gibbs,  Andersonville,  Jan.  23rd,  '65;  Corporal  Nathaniel 
C.  McFarland,  Andersonville,  Mar.  13th,  '65;  Henry  Roberts,  Ander 
sonville,  July  24th,  '64. 

NAMES  WHICH  CANNOT  BE  INDETIFIED  BUT  FOUND  ON 
ANDERSONVILLE  LIST  OF  DEATHS. 

r       Henninger,  19th  Me.,  July  28th,  '64;  S.  Snower,  Co.  A, 

19th  Me.,  Sept.  28th,  '64;  F.  St.  Peter,  Co.  F.  19th  Me.,  Oct.  27th,  '64. 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  29! 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE   APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN. 

At  dawn,  March  the  25th,  heavy  firing  was  heard  on  our 
right,  which  proved  to  be  an  attack  of  the  enemy  on  the  Union 
lines  at  Fort  Stedman.  General  Gordon,  of  the  Confederate 
army,  with  nearly  one-half  of  Lee's  troops  in  and  around 
Petersburg,  surprised  and  fell  with  overpowering  force  upon  the 
Ninth  Corps,  capturing  Fort  Stedman  and  one  or  two  of  the 
neighboring  redoubts.  Gordon  and  his  men  were  at  length 
driven  back,  losing  nearly  4000  men  in  killed,  wounded  and 
prisoners.  This  was  the  last  attempt  of  Lee  to  penetrate  our 
works.  General  Humphreys,  with  our  Corps,  without  waiting 
for  orders,  moved  with  great  promptness  toward  the  enemy's 
works.  Our  attack  was  made  with  such  vigor  that  the  in 
trenched  line  of  the  Confederate  pickets  was  captured  and  our 
forces  pushed  up  to  the  main  line  of  the  Confederate  works.  At 
midnight  the  Regiment  returned  to  the  main  line  of  works,  but 
retained  the  captured  works  of  the  Confederate  pickets.  The 
enemy  made  repeated  efforts  to  retake  his  old  picket  line,  but 
was  unsuccessful.  The  losses  in  the  Brigade  were  very  small. 
The  Regiment  returned  to  camp  on  the  forenoon  of  the  26th, 
and  remained  there  until  the  29th  of  March.  Herman  L.  Bray, 
Company  E,  is  reported  wounded  on  March  28th. 

The  two  opposing  lines  now  confronting  each  other  stretch 
ed  across  the  country  for  a  distance  of  between  thirty-five  and 
forty  miles.  These  lines  began  on  the  north,  between  the 
Chickahominy  and  James  rivers,  extended  south  across  the 
peninsula  between  the  James  and  Appomattox,  thence  southerly 
across  the  Appomattox  to  the  south  of  Petersburg,  and  thence 
westerly  to  Hatcher's  run. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  March  29th,  our  Regiment  started 
with  the  Corps  for  Hatcher's  run,  having  been  relieved  the 


292  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

night  before  by  a  portion  of  Gibbon's  Twenty-fourth  Corps. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  last  campaign  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  We  crossed  Hatcher's  run  at  the  Vaughn  road  and 
our  Corps  stretched  from  Hatcher's  run  in  a  westerly  direction, 
the  right  of  our  Division  resting  on  the  run  and  connecting 
with  the  Third  Division  of  our  Corps  on  the  left.  The  First 
Division  of  the  Corps  occupied  the  left.  The  left  of  our  Corps 
connected  with  Warren's  Fifth  Corps  at  the  Vaughn  road 
crossing  of  Gravelly  run.  About  one-third  of  each  Division 
of  the  Second  Corps  was  in  reserve. 

On  the  morning  of  March  29th,  General  Grant  orderec1 
Sheridan  with  his  large  Cavalry  Corps  to  Dinwiddie  Court 
House.  Sheridan  was  reinforced  by  the  Cavalry  Division  of 
Kautz,  now  commanded  by  that  rising  young  Brigadier- 
General,  R.  S.  MacKenzie.  When  the  old  Nineteenth  was 
organized,  General  MacKenzie  was  a  Second  Lieutenant.  He 
was  made  Brigadier-General,  October  9th,  1864,  and  his  rapid 
promotion  was  in  every  way  deserved.  Sheridan  immediately 
began  to  move  from  Dinwiddie  toward  Five  Forks  with  his 
powerful  Cavalry  force.  Two  entire  Corps,  the  Second  and 
Fifth,  were  sent  across  Hatcher's  run  to  cooperate  with  Sheridan. 
Warren's  Corps  was  on  the  left  and  next  to  Sheridan,  but 
hardly  within  supporting  distance,  and  Humphrey's  Second 
Corps  on  Warren's  right  and  reaching  to  Hatcher's  run. 

It  was  not  known  whether  Lee  would  strike  Humphreys 
next  to  Hatcher's  run,  or  go  down  the  Boydton  road  and 
attack  Warren,  or  take  the  White  Oak  road  and  move  westerly 
from  Burgess'  mill  to  Five  Forks  and  attack  Sheridan.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  Regiment  was  nearest  the  White  Oak 
road,  when  in  the  vicinity  of  Burgess'  mill,  at  the  time  of  the 
engagement  on  the  Boydton  road  on  October  2yth.  If  General 
Lee  intended  to  retain  Petersburg  or  Richmond,  be  must 
necessarily  attack  this  force  now  southwest  of  Hatcher's  run, 
which  was  relentlessly  pounding  its  way  northwesterly  toward 
the  South  Side  railroad.  General  Lee  determined  to  attack 
Warren  and  Sheridan. 

A  downpour  of  rain  set  in  early  on  March  3Oth  and  con 
tinued  for  nearly  forty-eight  hours,  flooding  a  great  portion 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  293 

of  that  low,  swampy  country  and  rendering  the  roads  nearly 
impassable  for  heavy  trains  and  artillery.  This  necessary 
delay  to  the  Union  forces  gave  Lee  the  opportunity  which  he 
needed  to  get  his  forces  massed  in  front  of  Warren  and  Sheridan. 

The  Nineteenth  reached  Dabney's  mill  on  the  night  of  the 
agth.  We  will  let  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding  describe  the 
movement  of  the  Regiment  on  this  day  after  it  had  crossed 
Hatcher's  run: 

"Colonel  Starbird  was  directed  to  deploy  one-half  of  his 
Regiment  as  skirmishers^  using  the  remainder,  together  with  the 
Fifty-ninth  New  York  Volunteers  and  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-second  New  York  Volunteers,  who  were  ordered  to  report 
to  him,  as  a  support,  and  advance  through  the  woods  to  find  out 
who,  if  anybody,  were  out  there.  1  was  with  the  skirmishers. 
Hunters  of  big  game  in  the  backwoods  can  understand  the 
nervous  excitement  which  thrills  one  in  advancing  upon  an 
enemy,  whether  a  wild  beast  or  an  armed  soldier,  through  thick 
woods  where  only  occasional  glimpses  would  enable  you  to  see 
but  a  few  rods  in  advance.  Within  the  first  mile  we  came  to  a 
line  of  rifle  pits  that  marked  the  line  of  the  enemy's  pickets, 
who  stole  away  at  our  approach,  leaving  their  small  fires  burning 
and  in  some  instances  their  food  cooking  thereon.  Still  our 
lines  advanced,  not  rapidly  but  cautiously— very  cautiously, 
every  man  for  himself  in  a  sense — on  the  alert  and  watchful. 
I  know  not  how  long  nor  how  far  we  thus  advanced,  but  it  was 
late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  woods  became  more  open,  a 
longer  view  could  be  obtained,  and  at  last  through  the  openings 
we  could  see  what  looked  like  fresh  earthworks  of  considerable 
magnitude.  Then  greater  caution  was  observed — each  skir 
misher  advanced  from  tree  to  tree — jumping,  creeping,  crawling 
— observing  the  general  alignment,  and  at  the  same  time  keep 
ing  the  keenest  watch  in  front,  till  at  last  we  reached  the  edge 
of  an  opening,  near  the  centre  of  which  there  loomed  up  a  huge 
pile  of  sawdust  with  one  or  two  pieces  of  stove  funnel  mounted 
upon  it  and  pointed  in  our  direction.  At  this  we  all  laughed. 
We  had  reached  Dabney's  mill.  Soon  the  supporting  lines 
appeared  from  out  the  woods,  when  the  skirmish  line  was  again 


294  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

pushed  out  a  proper  distance  into  the  opposite  woods  and  a 
halt  was  made  for  the  night." 

In  the  official  report  of  the  movements  of  the  Regiment  on 
March  3oth  in  the  rain,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaujding  states  that 
five  companies  advanced  as  skirmishers  and  the  remainder  of  the 
Regiment  was  in  the  line  of  battle.  The  skirmishers  advanced 
until  they  met  the  enemy  at  Fort  Powell  and  we  were  engaged 
during  the  day  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 
skirmishers  from  the  Regiment  were  relieved  by  the  Thirty- 
sixth  Wisconsin  and  rejoined  the  Regiment  and  Brigade  at 
the  Crow  House. 

Colonel  Olmsted,  who  was  in  command  of  our  Brigade, 
states  that  on  March  3oth  the  Brigade  with  the  rest  of  the 
Division  advanced  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  carried 
the  enemy's  works  at  Hatcher's  run  and  at  the  Crow  House. 
Our  Brigade  took  its  position  on  the  left  of  the  Second  Brigade 
and  relieved  Pierce's  Brigade  of  the  Third  Division.  Colonel 
Olmsted  states  that  he  "threw  out  the  Nineteenth  Maine  as 
skirmishers,  supported  by  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fourth 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers  and  the  Thirty-sixth  Wisconsin 
Volunteers,  to  find  out  the  position  of  the  enemy's  works  in 
our  front."  At  night  the  Regiment  endeavored  to  strengthen 
its  advanced  position  by  throwing  up  earthworks. 

On  the  last  day  of  March  important  events  were  taking 
place  upon  our  left.  The  Confederate  General  Pickett,  with 
a  force  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  met  General  Sheridan  advancing 
from  Dinwiddie  Court  House  toward  Five  Forks.  A  desperate 
encounter  took  place  between  these  forces,  and  General  Sheri 
dan's  Cavalry  was  driven  back  in  great  confusion  to  the  vicinity 
of  Dinwiddie  Court  House.  In  the  meantime  General  Warren 
was  hurrying  forward  with  the  purpose  of  seizing  the  White 
Oak  road  and  thus  cutting  off,  with  his  Corps,  the  Confederates 
under  Pickett  from  the  rest  of  Lee's  army.  General  Lee  came 
down  from  Petersburg  and  in  person  directed  the  attack  on 
Ayer's  Division  of  Warren's  Corps  with  four  Brigades  of  Con 
federate  infantry.  General  Lee's  attack  was  so  vigorous  and  per 
sistent  that  not  only  Ayer's  Division,  but  also  Crawford's  Divis 
ion  of  the  same  Corps,  was  driven  back  a  considerable  distance. 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  295 

General  Humphreys,  hearing  the  heavy  firing  that  came  from 
Warren's  encounter,  drew  General  Miles'  Division  of  our  Corps 
out  of  the  line  and  hurried  it  to  the  relief  of  the  Fifth  Corps. 
This  left  our  own  Division  and  Mott's,  confronting  the  Crow 
House  redoubt  and  the  Confederate  intrenchment  at  Burgess' 
mill.  In  order  to  relieve  the  pressure  on  Warren  and  Sheridan, 
General  Humphreys  ordered  our  two  remaining  Divisions  to 
attempt  to  take  these  works  in  our  front.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Spaulding,  in  his  report,  states  that  the  Regiment  was  deployed 
and  advanced  as  skirmishers  a  little  after  noon  and  went  up  to 
"within  short  range  of  the  enemy's  works  and  engaged  them 
during  the  day,  taking  a  few  prisoners."  The  attacks  of  our 
own  and  the  Third  Division  on  this  day  were  not  wholly  suc 
cessful,  owing  to  the  strong  fortifications  and  the  abattis  formed 
in  front  of  the  Confederate  intrenchments.  The  Confederates 
were  prevented,  however,  from  drawing  troops  away  from  our 
front  to  reinforce  the  columns  fighting  W'arren  and  Sheridan. 

Privates  Ithiel  Pease,  Company  D,  and  John  M.  Knowl- 
ton,  (4th  Me.),  Company  I,  were  wounded  March  3ist. 
Several  other  members  of  the  Regiment,  of  which  the  rolls 
furnish  no  information,  were  also  slightly  wounded  on  this 
day,  but  did  not  leave  the  Regiment. 

The  reports  of  the  Regiment  covering  the  last  campaign 
were  written  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding,  although 
Colonel  Starbird  was  in  command  of  the  Regiment  until  April 
7th.  Colonel  Starbird  was  absent,  wounded,  at  the  time  the 
reports  were  prepared.  During  the  month  of  April  the  Regi 
ment  had  present  for  duty  from  three  hundred  and  fifty  to 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  men. 

In  the  early  afternoon  of  April  ist,  the  Regiment,  with  the 
rest  of  the  Brigade,  advanced  a  short  distance  and  threw  up  a 
strong  line  of  works,  connecting  with  the  Second  Brigade  of  our 
Division  on  the  right,  and  that  Brigade  connected  with  the 
Twenty-fourth  Corps.  Late  at  night  a  strong  skirmish  line  was 
pushed  out  to  the  front  with  supports,  and  an  unsuccessful 
attack  made  on  the  enemy's  works. 

On  the  morning  of  April  ist,  General  Warren  was  directed 
by  General  Meade  to  extend  his  left  so  as  to  form  a  junction 


296  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

with  Sheridan,  at  whch  time  he  was  to  report  to  Sheridan  and  be 
under  his  orders.  It  appears  that  General  Sheridan  preferred 
and  requested  some  other  Corps  to  cooperate  with  him  not  hav 
ing,  as  he  stated,  the  fullest  confidence  in  General  Warren. 
The  latter  officer  reported  to  Sheridan  about  eleven  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon,  completely  ignorant  of  his  preference  for  another 
Corps.  At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Warren  was  ordered 
to  bring  up  his  infantry,  and  he  himself  rode  up  the  Five  Forks 
road  in  advance  of  the  infantry  to  see  Sheridan  and  to  inform 
himself  of  the  use  to  be  made  of  his  troops,  so  that  no  time 
would  be  lost  on  their  arrival. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  enter  into  a  discussion 
of  the  controversy  waged  between  the  friends  of  Sheridan  and 
Warren  over  the  battle  of  Five  Forks.  It  is  sufficient  to  state 
that  at  the  very  moment  of  victory  at  Five  Forks,  and  after  the 
Fifth  Corps  had  captured  over  2000  prisoners  with  their  arms, 
eleven  regimental  colors  and  one  four-gun  battery,  General 
Warren,  once  the  illustrious  commander  of  the  Second  Corps 
suffered  the  humiliation  of  being  relieved  from  his  command 
by  General  Sheridan.  After  fifteen  years  of  earnest  entreaty 
General  Warren  secured  a  Court  of  Inquiry,  which  convened 
in  New  York  City  in  1880.  General  Sheridan  in  his  personal 
memoirs  makes  the  following  observation : 

"Briefly  stated,  in  my  report  of  the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  there 
were  four  imputations  concerning  General  Warren.  The  first  implied 
that  Warren  failed  to  reach  me  on  the  1st  of  April,  when  I  had  reason 
to  expect  him;  the  second,  that  the  tactical  handling  of  his  Corps  was 
unskillful;  the  third,  that  he  did  not  exert  himself  to  get  his  Corps  up 
to  Gravelly  Run  Church;  and  the  fourth,  that  when  portions  of  his 
line  gave  way  he  did  not  exert  himself  to  restore  confidence  to  his 
troops.  The  Court  found  against  him  on  the  first  and  second  counts, 
and  for  him  on  the  third  and  fourth. 

Conceding  everything  that  General  Sheridan  claims  in  this 
most  unfortunate  affair,  it  would  not  have  subtracted  from  his 
well-earned  fame  if,  after  the  passion  of  the  hour  had  cooled  and 
he  was  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Army,  he  had  taken  the  initia 
tive  in  repairing,  so  far  as  he  could,  the  injury  done  to  General 
Warren.  It  seems,  however,  that  he  was  not  broad-minded 
enough  to  do  this.  General  Sherman  in  reviewing  the  proceed 
ings  of  the  Court  of  Inquiry  approves  the  finding  of  the  Court, 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  297 

not  so  much  on  the  ground  that  Warren  was  culpable,  as  from 
the  fact  that  the  power  to  remove  should  be  lodged  in  the  Com 
mander,  who  "must  act  on  the  impulse,  the  conviction  of  the 
instant."  General  Sherman  adds :  "No one  has  questioned  the 
patriotism,  integrity  and  great  intelligence  of  General  Warren. 
These  are  attested  by  a  long  record  of  most  excellent  service/' 
As  the  lapse  of  time  gives  us  a  better  perspective,  General 
Warren,  like  General  Thomas,  has  grown  wonderfully  in  the 
grateful  appreciation  of  the  American  people,  since  the  close  of 
that  conflict  in  which  he  bore  such  an  honorable  part. 

An  attack  was  made  on  the  enemy's  works  all  along  the 
line  on  the  2nd  of  April.  On  this  bright  and  clear  Sunday 
morning  the  Regiment  was  astir  and  advancing.  The  Sixth 
and  Ninth  Corps  had  penetrated  the  enemy's,  lines  in  front  of 
Petersburg  and  captured  his  outer  works,  together  with  many 
prisoners  and  guns.  It  was  here  that  the  Confederate  General 
A.  P.  Hill  was  killed.  The  cheering  that  came  along  the  line 
from  the  direction  of  Petersburg  and  the  heavy  firing  in  that 
direction  indicated  that  something  of  importance  was  going  on. 
The  news  was  soon  conveyed  to  the  old  Second  Corps.  General 
Humphreys  now  directed  General  Hays,  commanding  our 
Division,  to  assault  the  Crow  House  redoubt  in  the  early  morn 
ing.  This  work  was  successfully  performed  by  the  Division, 
and  the  occupants  of  the  redoubt  were  captured,  together  with 
three  pieces  of  artillery.  The  Regiment  then  moved  by  the  left 
flank  to  the  Boydton  plank  road  and  thence  in  a  northerly 
direction  across  Hatcher's  run  at  Burgess'  mill.  The  Con 
federate  works  here  were  unoccupied  and  the  "Johnnies"  were 
all  on  the  run.  Our  march  was  practically  unopposed  during 
the  day,  and  the  Second  and  Third  Divisions,  under  Hays  and 
Mott,  marched  nearly  fifteen  miles  in  a  northerly  direction, 
leaving  Petersburg  on  the  right.  Then  we  bore  further  to  the 
west,  crossing  the  railroad  at  Sutherland  station.  Here, 
skirmishers  were  thrown  out  in  front,  and  we  pushed  on  until 
we  came  across  the  skirmishers  of  the  First  Division  that  had 
been  having  severe  fighting  on  the  Claiborne  road.  General 
Miles  however,  had  captured  the  most  of  them  after  a  severe 
engagement.  The  Regiment  encamped  here  for  the  night.  On 


290  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE    REGIMENT 

April  3rd  we  resumed  the  march  down  the  Cox  road  and  across 
to  the  Namozine  road,  and  encamped  for  the  night  on  the  farm 
of  Mrs.  Burke,  near  Nintercomac  creek.  We  knew  on  this  day 
that  Richmond  and  Petersburg  had  been  evacuated  and  that  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  was  endeavoring  *to  get  around 
General  Meade's  left  flank,  in  precipitate  retreat  toward  North 
Carolina. 

The  men  of  the  Regiment  were  buoyant  and  happy. 

We  were  off  again  early  in  the  morning  of  April  the  4th, 
with  the  Sixth  Corps  on  our  right  and  the  Fifth  on  our  left. 
There  were  heavy  rains  during  the  day,  which  greatly  em 
barrassed  the  trains  and  artillery.  Corduroy  roads  were  made 
in  places  for  the  benefit  of  the  wagon  trains  and  artillery. 
The  Army  of  the  James  and  the  Ninth  Corps  were  moving  on 
parallel  lines  further  to  the  south.  Our  course  was  nearly  due 
west.  The  Confederate  army  was  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
Appomattox  and  we  on  the  southern,  and  it  was  a  race  to  see 
which  should  reach  Amelia  Court  House  first.  On  the  after 
noon  of  April  5th,  the  Second  and  Fifth  Corps  struck  the 
Danville  railroad  at  Jetersville,  about  half  way  between  Amelia 
Court  House  and  Burke's  station,  which  is  the  junction  of  the 
Danville  and  the  South  Side  railroads.  We  were  now  further 
west  than  the  Confederate  army,  which  was  concentrated  about 
Amelia  Court  House.  Hoping  to  catch  the  Confederates,  the 
Second,  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps  started  early  on  the  morning  of 
April  6th,  for  Amelia  Court  House,  the  Second  Corps 
holding  the  left  of  the  line.  We  were  then  moving  back  in  the 
direction  of  Richmond.  In  the  meantime  the  Confederates 
started  about  as  early  as  we  did  and  passed  around  our  left 
flank  and  pushed  on  for  Rice's  station  on  the  South  Side  rail 
road  and  some  distance  south  of  the  Appomattox  river.  As 
soon  as  this  movement  of  the  enemy  was  discovered,  the  three 
Corps  named  changed  the  direction  of  their  march' and  took  a 
westward  course  again.  It  now  became  a  foot  race  between 
the  Divisions  of  our  Corps  to  see  which  could  first  strike  the 
retreating  enemy.  On  this  day  General  Hays,  who  had  been 
commanding  our  Division,  was  relieved  by  General  Smyth,  and 
later  in  the  day  General  Barlow  returned  to  the  Second  Corps 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  299 

and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  our  Division.  General 
Barlow  was  always  liked  by  the  troops  he  commanded.  He 
was  cool  and  appeared  to  be  absolutely  without  fear  in  battle. 
He  continued  in  the  command  of  our  Division  until  the  sur 
render  of  Lee's  army. 

Our  Brigade  advanced  in  line  of  battle  the  greater  part  of 
the  6th.  The  rear  of  the  Confederate  force  was  constantly 
firing  upon  us,  and  our  skirmishers  were  pressing  them  in  every 
direction.  General  Sheridan  was  harrassing  them  from  the 
south.  The  road  was  strewn  with  abandoned  wagons,  guns, 
blankets  and  equipments  of  all  kinds.  Sometimes  we  were 
marching  on  roads  parallel  to,  and  in  sight  of,  the  Confederates, 
and  it  seemed  to  be  a  neck-and-neck  race  until  nearly  night. 
The  Second  Corps  captured  on  this  day  1700  prisoners,  four 
guns,  and  some  three  or  four  hundred  loaded  wagons  and 
ambulances.  Sometimes  the  artillery  of  the  Corps  was  on  the 
skirmish  line.  1 1  was  an  exciting  day.  General  Mott,  the  brave 
commander  of  the  Third  Division,  was  severely  wounded. 
General  De  Trobriand  succeeded  Mott  in  command  of  the 
Division.  This  day  we  had  been  fighting  General  Gordon's 
Corps. 

The  Sixth  Corps  and  the  Cavalry  Divisions  of  Crook  and 
Merritt  broke  in  upon  and  nearly  annihilated  the  Corps  of 
Ewell  and  Anderson,  taking  many  prisoners  and  six  general 
officers,  among  whom  was  General  Ewell. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding  makes  the  following  con 
tribution  to  this  day's  history: 

"I  remember,  as  we  were  advancing  in  line  through  a  beautiful 
stretch  of  woods,  a  solitary  horseman  was  seen  approaching  at  great 
speed  along  a  wood  road  from  the  enemy's  direction.  He  came  directly 
toward  me,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  dressed  in  the  natty  gray  uniform 
of  a  Southern  Lieutenant.  His  flushed  countenance  evinced  great 
excitement,  and  the  foam  on  his  horse  showed  the  speed  at  which  he 
had  ridden.  A  raised  pistol  and  command  to  halt  brought  him  to  a 
momentary  stop  when  he  exclaimed:  'For  God's  sake,  do  not  delay 
me.  What  direction  will  take  me  quickest  to  the  General?'  I  pointed 
down  the  road,  and  away  he  flew  amid  the  shouts  and  cheers  of  our 
men.  He  was  one  of  the  Union  daredevil  scouts  and  spies,  bringing 
in  important  information." 

April  yth  was  historic  for  the  Nineteenth  Maine.  The 
Regiment  on  this  day  was  to  perform  great  service  for  the 


300  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

Union  cause.     In  General  Barlow's  official  report  he  makes  the 
following  allusion  to  our  service: 

"On  the  morning  of  April  7th,  we  continued  the  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  moving  on  the  right  of  the  First  Division  and  the  main  road. 
During  the  morning,  learning  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Corps' 
commander  to  pass  over  Hi^h  Bridge,  I  sent  the  Nineteenth  Regiment 
Maine  Volunteers  (of  the  First  Brigade)  to  secure  the  bridge.  After 
considerable  skirmishing  this  Regiment  drove  away  the  enemy  and 
secured  the  crossing,  and  extinguished  the  fire  on  the  small  dirt-road 
bridge.  They  were  unable  to  extinguish  the  fire  on  the  railroad  bridge, 
three  spans  of  which  were  destroyed  before  the  Division  pioneers 
could  cut  away  the  burning  part.  During  the  skirmishing,  Colonel 
Starbird,  commanding  the  Nineteenth  Maine  Volunteers,  a  gallant 
officer,  was  dangerously  wounded." 

Colonel  Olmsted,  the  commander  of  our  Brigade,  in  his 
official  report,  states  that  on  the  morning  in  question  he  ad 
vanced  with  his  brigade  marching  in  column  until  he  arrived 
near  High  Bridge.  Upon  discovering  the  situation  "reported 
to  General  Barlow  that  a  rebel  wagon  train  was  in  sight,  and 
was  ordered  to  advance  a  regiment  as  skirmishers  to  take  a 
supposed  work  of  the  enemy  near  the  southwest  of  High 
Bridge."  Colonel  Olmsted's  report  continues:  "  I  deployed  the 
Nineteenth  Maine.  They  advanced,  and  afterward  moved  to 
the  right  and  saved  the  High  Bridge  and  also  a  smaller  bridge 
for  crossing  below." 

The  following  account  of  this  important  engagement  and 
what  the  old  Regiment  accomplished  was  written  by  Brevet 
Brigadier-General  Olmsted  in  1892: 

"On  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  April  the  Second  and  Third  Brig 
ades  were  ordered  on  the  march,  and  the  First  Brigade  of  the  Second 
Division  was,  for  some  reason  never  known  to  me,  held  in  position 
near  the  headquarters  of  General  William  Hays,  commanding  the 
Second  Division.  Shortly  after  the  departure  of  the  Second  and  Third 
Brigades  of  the  Second  Division,  Major-General  F.  C.  Barlow  rode  to 
my  headquarters  and  wanted  to  know  why  I  had  not  moved  out.  I 
told  him  I  had  not  been  ordered  to  do  so.  He  inquired  where  General 
Hays'  headquarters  were,  and  I  pointed  them  out  to  him,  and  on  his 
invitation  rode  with  him  to  General  Hays,  where  he  (General  Barlow) 
announced  his  succession  to  the  command  of  the  Second  Division, 
Second  Corps.  He  then  rode  down  with  me,  placing  me  in  position 
to  move  down  a  road  1000  yards,  and  then  to  change  direction  and 
move  through  a  woods  primeval  due  west,  and  to  take  my  course  by 
compass.  Arriving  at  the  position  indicated,  I  changed  direction 
westward  and  moved  through  this  piece  of  woods,  and  I  verily  believe 
no  one  ever  before  marched  or  went  through  them.  Finally  we  came 
out  in  an  open  country,  and  in  our  front,  about  one  mile  distant,  saw 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  30 1 

a  fort,  line  of  works,  and  a  rebel  train  moving.  Knowing  wo  were 
close  upon  the  heels  of  Lee's  army,  and  receiving  information  from 
deserting  Confederates  that  the  troops  were  Lee's  rear-guard,  and 
that  the  line  of  works  was  the  last  stand  made  by  Lee  to  cover  the 
crossing  of  his  army,  and  that  there  was  a  foot-bridge,  over  which 
Lee's  army  had  crossed,  and  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Confed 
erates  to  fire  this  bridge  and  an  elegant  railroad  bridge  a  short  distance 
apart,  I  ordered  Colonel  Isaac  W.  Starbird,  with  his  regiment,  the 
Nineteenth  Maine,  to  capture  the  first  line  of  earthworks  and  secure 
the  bridge  at  all  hazards. 

"The  wagon-road  bridge  referred  to  was  reported  by  prisoners 
to  be  the  only  crossing  available  for  a  long  distance.  Appreciating 
this,  I  detailed  Colonel  Starbird  for  this  important  task.  There  were 
no  other  Union  troops  in  sight  at  this  time.  Colonel  Starbird  ad 
vanced  rapidly  with  the  Nineteenth  Maine,  securing  the  works  and 
prisoners,  from  whom  he  learned  where  the  foot  or  common  road  bridge 
was ;  the  fort  and  line  of  works  were  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Appomattox  river. 

"Colonel  Starbird,  having  captured  the  line  of  works,  was  directed 
to  find  the  bridge  and  prevent  the  enemy  from  burning  it.  Pressing 
a  prisoner  into  service,  with  a  pistol  at  the  head  of  the  Confederate, 
he  moved  rapidly  toward  the  river,  discovering  the  railroad  bridge 
on  fire — that  is,  the  span  of  the  bridge  nearest  the  Confederate  side  of 
the  river — and  also  the  common  wagon-road  bridge  a  few  hundred 
yards  to  the  right  of  the  railroad  bridge,  in  flames.  The  railroad  bridge 
was  some  sixty  feet  high,  a  beautiful  structure,  extending  from  bluff 
to  bluff  over  the  river.  The  common  wagon-road  bridge  extended 
over  the  narrow  but  unfordable  river.  The  importance  of  saving  the 
common  wagon-road  bridge  was  at  once  appreciated  by  Colonel  Star- 
bird.  He  directed  his  regiment  to  center  all  efforts  to  save  this  bridge 
for  the  passage  of  troops,  as  the  railroad  bridge  was  of  no  consequence 
at  this  time,  as  it  could  not  be  utilized  for  the  immediate  passage  of 
troops,  artillery,  etc.  The  river  could  not  be  forded,  and  as  the  rebels 
could  be  plainly  seen  on  the  opposite  bluff,  it  was  of  incalculable  im 
portance  that  a  means  of  crossing  the  river  should  be  secured  for  our 
pursuing  Corps.  The  small  common  wagon-road  bridge  must  be 
saved.  This  Colonel  Starbird  proceeded  to  do  with  his  noble  Nine 
teenth  Maine,  and  with  a  whoop  and  a  run,  every  man  recognizing 
how  much  depended  on  his  personal  exertion,  rushed  down  the 
bank  to  the  bridge  and  put  out  the  fire  with  water  that  was  in  their 
canteens,  together  with  boxes,  dippers  and  tents,  left  by  the  rebels 
in  their  retreat,  carried  water  from  the  river  and  extinguished  the  fire, 
saving  the  bridge  in  a  condition  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  troops." 

************ 

"The  First  Brigade  of  the  Second  Division,  Second  Corps,  was  in 
the  advance  of  Barlow's  Division  of  the  Second  Corps,  and  tne  Nine 
teenth  Maine  was  in  the  advance  of  the  Brigade  to  which  it  belonged, 
and  saved  this  bridge,  and  is  entitled  to  all  the  credit  for  doing  it.  No 
other  troops  were  there  to  aid  them;  and  they  are  further  to  be  cred 
ited  for  their  pluck  and  good  staying  qualities.  If  the  Regiment  had. 
not  been  so  prompt  or  had  not  done  its  work  so  effectually,  General 
Lee  might  not  have  surrendered  as  soon  as  he  did,  and  might  have 
reached  Lyncnburg  and  given  us  much  more  hard  righting  to  do." 

This  was  the  last  battle  of  the  Regiment.  Inasmuch  as 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding's  official  report,  written  in  the 


302         THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

hurry  of  the  closing  days  of  the  war,  was  very  brief,  a  more  ex 
tended  and  interesting  account,  written  by  that  officer  subse 
quent  to  the  war,  is  here  inserted : 

"The  next  morning,  Friday,  April  7th,  at  5:30  a.  m.,  our  Corps 
advanced  in  three  columns,  General  Miles'  First  Division  having  the 
road;  Barlow's  Second  Division,  to  which  we  belonged,  one  thousand 
yards  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and  De  Trobriand's  Third  Division,  one 
thousand  yards  to  the  left  of  the  road.  The  march  in  the  early  hours 
was  through  woods — it  was  a  bright  beautiful  day — the  birds  were 
singing  in  the  trees — the  newly-born  leaves  and  blades  were  fresh  and 
fair  to  look  upon.  The  troops  were  in  exuberant  spirits.  It  came 
the  turn  of  our  Brigade  to  have  the  lead  in  our  Division  that  day,  and 
the  Nineteenth  Maine  had  the  lead  in  our  Brigade  and  thereby  we 
headed  the  right  column.  About  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  we  were 
halted  for  a  moment,  as  we  approached  the  edge  of  tne  woods  with 
green  fields  and  pastures  in  front  of  us,  and  we  saw  in  our  immediate 
front  a  long,  high  hill  with  sloping  sides  and  earthworks  on  the  top. 

"General  Humpnreys,  the  Corps  commander,  and  General  Barlow, 
the  Division  commander,  together  at  our  head,  scanned  the  situation 
for  a  short  time  and  then  gave  the  order  for  the  Nineteenth  to  deploy 
as  skirmishers  and  advance  up  the  hill.  The  movement  quickly  com 
menced,  and  the  Corps  and  Division  commanders,  brave  and  gallant 
men  they  were,  went  up  the  hill  with  the  skirmishers.  True,  the 
advance  was  unopposed,  but  no  one  knew  what  was  on  the  hill,  and 
it  required  the  coolest  sort  of  courage  to  find  out.  On  reaching  the 
top,  a  broad  view  opened  up  before  us.  We  were  at  High  Bridge.  A 
steep  bank  extended  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill  to  the  Appo- 
mattox  river,  not  over  a  hundred  feet  in  width,  running  full  to  its 
banks.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  a  broad  intervale,  then 
only  two  or  three  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the  river,  and 
beyond  a  hill  of  the  same  elevation  as  that  upon  which  we  stood.  The 
railroad,  wnich  we  struck  here,  crossed  the  river  by  a  high  bridge  run 
ning  from  hill  to  hill  at  the  narrowest  part  of  the  valley.  It  had 
twenty-one  spans  of  a  hundred  feet  each,  we  were  told,  and  three  of 
the  spans  at  the  further  end  were  on  fire  and  one  or  more  had  already 
fallen. 

"A  few  rods  below  the  railroad  bridge  was  a  low  travelled  bridge 
for  the  dirt-road,  and  that,  too,  was  all  on  fire  with  a  few  of  the  enemy 
still  encouraging  the  fire. 

"On  the  opposite  hill,  in  full  view,  was  General  Mahone's  Division 
of  the  rebel  army,  and  they  were  just  forming  to  continue  their  retreat. 
"The  river  was  not  fordable,  and  yet  the  Second  Corps  must 
cross  at  just  that  point.  The  bridge  must  be  saved — so  said  General 
Humphreys.  Our  boys  scampered  down  the  steep  bank  to  the  burn 
ing  bridge,  driving  away  the  rebels;  three  companies  were  rushed 
across  to  form  a  line  of  skirmishers  on  the  other  side,  the  line  forming 
a  semi-circle  with  the  two  ends  resting  on  the  river.  The  remainder 
of  the  Regiment  spread  over  the  bridge  and  with  their  dippers,  caps 
and  hats — anything  that  would  hold  water  which  they  could  dip  from 
the  river,  so  low  was  the  bridge  and  so  high  the  water,  to  put  out  the 
fire,  and  the  bridge  was  saved.  Then  the  Regiment  formed  in  single 
rank  along  the  river's  edge,  extending  from  the  bridge  on  either  hand 
as  far  as  possible,  with  one  or  two  companies  at  our  end  of  the  bridge. 

"The  enemy,  discovering  our  movement  and  seeing  what  an  in 
significant  force  we  had,  sent  back  a  brigade  to  complete  the  destruc- 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  303 

tion  of  their  bridge.  Their  movement  commenced  as  soon  as  ours, 
but  they  were  obliged  to  make  something  of  a  detour  to  our  right,  so 
that  our  men  were  all  in  position  and  the  fire  extinguished  before 
their  lines  were  within  comfortable  range.  At  that  time  I  had  a 
nervous  mare  which  had  been  twice  wounded  and  had  learned  to  de 
tect  the  sound  of  zipping  bullets,  so  she  acted  in  an  engagement  just 
as  I  felt;  but  she  had  the  advantage  of  me  in  not  having  the  fear  of 
a  court  martial  before  her  eyes — and  she  just  had  to  go  to  the  rear — 
there  I  sent  her  that  morning  as  soon  as  the  enemy  started  for  us. 
We  could  see  them  advancing  every  step  of  the  way.  We  could  see 
they  were  ten  to  our  one.  But  Humphreys  said  the  bridge  must  be 
saved,  and  there  was  nobody  else  there  but  ourselves  to  save  it. 

"I  had  been  with  the  three  Companies  as  skirmishers  under  in 
structions  to  place  them  in  the  best  position  and  report  at  the  bridge 
that  I  had  done  so,  for  low  bushes  in  places  on  the  level  ground  ob 
structed  the  view.  I  had  just  reported  to  Colonel  Starbird,  who  sat 
upon  his  horse  on  the  bridge,  where  bullets  were  constantly  singing, 
when  he  directed  that  I  give  the  skirmishers  instructions  to  retire 
stubbornly  before  the  enemy,  but  at  the  same  time  quickly  enough 
at  the  last  to  recross  the  bridge  to  the  Regiment  in  line  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  I  quickly  responded  that  I  had  given  those  instruc 
tions  to  each  Company  commander,  when  Starbird  fell  from  his  horse 
into  my  arms  with  such  a  painful  wound  from  a  bullet  which  he  still 
carries  in  his  person,  that  we  all  thought  it  meant  his  death.  He  was 
quickly  taken  to  the  rear.  His  bravery  and  gallantry  in  action  was 
ever  conspicuous,  drawing  the  attention  of  his  own  men  and  of  his 
superiors,  and  never  more  so  than  at  that  High  Bridge  fight. 

"At  his  fall  every  officer  and  man  felt  an  added  responsibility 
resting  upon  him  personally.  We  all  knew  the  position  must  be  held 
at  all  hazards,  and  we  could  all  see  the  force  pouncing  upon  us.  The 
skirmishers  held  out  so  stubbornly  that  two  of  the  companies  were 
unable  to  recross  the  bridge.  They  were  ordered  by  motion  of  the 
hand  to  flatten  themselves  upon  the  ground  so  that  all  the  Regiment 
could  engage  in  the  contest  without  endangering  our  own  men. 

"Then  such  a  fight,  for  a  little  one,  as  followed  had  rarely  been 
witnessed.  The  usual  and  ordinary  commands  of  'Lively  now,' 
'Keep  cool,'  'Don't  get  excited,'  'Fire  low,'  'Take  aim,'  'Lively,'  and 
so  on,  were  not  heard  and  were  not  needed.  Every  man  was  exerting 
himself  to  the  utmost  without  the  least  indication  of  any  undue  excite 
ment,  and  taking  deliberate  aim  when  he  fired.  Shortly  many  of  the 
officers  were  supplied  with  arms  by  the  muskets  of  the  wounded.  The 
enemy  would  falter  for  a  minute,  then  move  on  again,  then  stop  for 
a  time,  and  all  the  time  they  were  loading  and  firing.  Though  their 
bullets  greatly  outnumbered  ours,  they  apparently  were  not  doing 
as  much  execution.  Still  they  felt  that  the  bridge  must  be  reached 
and  destroyed,  and  were  clearly  amazed  that  such  a  small  handfull 
of  men  were  holding  them  back.  They  pressed  on  and  on,  the  distance 
between  them  and  the  bridge  growing  continually  less  and  less.  Just 
when  it  seemed  that,  in  spite  of  all  we  could  do,  they  would  reach  the 
bridge  and  it  would  come  to  the  bayonet,  where  numbers  would  count 
to  still  greater  advantage  in  their  favor,  a  shout  was  heard  by  us  com 
ing  from  the  rear,  and  turning  our  heads  for  a  moment  we  beheld  the 
Second  Brigade  of  our  Division,  descending  the  bank  behind  us  on  the 
double  quick,  and  the  gallant  General  Smyth  at  their  head — his  sword 
in  one  hand  and  broad-brimmed  hat  in  the  other,  shouting  'Come  on ! 
Come  on!' 


304  THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 

"Oh  God!  how  our  hearts  throbbed  with  joy  at  the  sight  of  those 
noble  men,  led  by  one  who  we  all  knew  well  and  loved  for  his  great 
gallantry  and  bravery  in  action. 

"It  took  but  a  few  moments  for  the  head  of  their  column  to  reach 
the  bridge.  In  the  meantime  our  own  boys  in  line  Jo  the  right  and 
left  of  the  bridge  without  order  were  also  rushing  for  the  bridge — the 
Company  at  the  end  of  the  bridge,  by  command  of  its  Captain  (Lewis), 
rushing  across  in  advance  of  General  Smyth,  the  two  Companies 
already  over  there  joining  in  the  melee ;  all  others  as  fast  as  they  reached 
the  bridge  joining  the  columns  of  our  rescuers  in  rushing  the  bridge, 
spreading  out  like  a  fan  upon  the  level  ground  at  the  other  end,  all 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  spirited  musketry,  and  when  the  greater  part 
of  the  Brigade  was  over,  our  lines  just  blew  over  that  intervale  like  a 
whirlwind,  and  I  think  not  one  of  those  'Johnnies'  escaped  capture. 

"Very  soon,  and  before  we  had  our  men  all  assembled,  General 
Humphreys  rode  along  and,  noticing  us,  he  stopped  his  horse,  and 
said,  'I  have  just  left  Colonel  Starbird  in  the  little  house  on  the  hill. 
He  was  dying  when  I  left.  You  have  done  enough  for  one  day,  you 
boys  of  the  Nineteenth  Maine — rest  here  as  long  as  you  please,  then 
follow  on.' 

"The  gallant  Smyth,  who  came  to  our  rescue,  later  that  day  again 
charged  the  enemy,  and  in  the  midst  fell  from  his  horse  with  a  bullet 
through  the  very  centre  of  his  forehead. 

"I  never  recall  this  hero  of  that  great  war  without  bringing  to 
mind  an  incident  which  occurred  at  our  Division  headquarters  a  month 
or  two  earlier,  when  General  Smyth  was  in  command  of  the  Division. 
On  a  Sunday  afternoon  our  Brigade  commander  had  been  holding  a 
Brigade  dress  parade,  and  after  it  was  over  he  invited  the  field  officers 
to  go  with  him  to  Division  headquarters  to  call  upon  General  Smyth. 
While  there,  some  of  Smyth's  staff  returned  from  a  visit  up  towards 
the  right  of  our  lines  before  Petersburg  and  brought  the  news  that  peace 
commissioners  had  come  into  our  lines  that  day.  Immediately  con 
versation  turned  upon  the  prospect  of  peace.  Many  thought  we  should 
see  no  more  fighting,  when  General  Smyth  said:  'I  don't  know,  boys; 
I  think  some  of  us  here  will  yet  have  a  chance  to  claim  six  feet  of  Vir 
ginia  soil.'  Then  turning  to  Colonel  Stover,  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-fourth  Pennsylvania,  he  said,  referring  to  the  custom  of  nam 
ing  forts  after  some  officer  who  had  fallen  in  that  immediate  vicinity 
'Stover,  how  would  you  like  to  have  a  fort  over  here  named  after  you. 
"Fort  Stover,"  that  would  sound  pretty  well.'  The  Colonel,  strok 
ing  his  beard,  replied:  'Well  General,  if  I  had  my  choice  about  the 
matter,  I  think  I  would  prefer  to  have  a  nice,  healthy  male  child 
named  after  me.'  General  Smyth  was  the  only  officer  in  that  meet 
ing  who  afterwards  lost  his  life  in  battle." 

In  his  report,  General  Meade  made  the  following  statement: 

"The  Second  Corps  resumed  the  direct  pursuit  of  the  enemy, 
coming  up  with  him  at  High  Bridge  over  the  Appomattox.  Here 
the  enemy  made  a  feeble  stand  with  his  rear  guard,  attempting  to  burn 
the  railroad  and  common  bridge.  Being  driven  off  by  Humphreys, 
he  succeeded  in  burning  three  spans  of  the  railroad  bridge,  but  the 
common  bridge  was  saved,  which  Humphreys  immediately  crossed 
in  pursuit,  the  enemy  abandoning  eighteen  guns  at  this  point." 

General  Humphreys,  commanding  the  Corps,  said: 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  305 

"Learning  subsequently  from  the  people  of  the  country  that  the 
main  body  of  troops  had  gone  to  High  Bridge,  I  immediately  crossed 
over  to  it.  This  brought  General  Barlow  to  the  bridge  a  snort  time 
in  advance  of  the  First  Division.  Here  he  overtook  the  rear  of  the 
enemy  just  as  they  had  fired  the  wagon-road  bridge  and  as  the  second 
span  of  the  railroad  bridge  was  burning.  The  wagon-road  bridge 
was  secured,  a  matter  of  importance,  as  the  Appomattox  was  not 
fordable.  A  considerable  force  of  the  enemy  was  drawn  up  in  a  strong 
position  on  the  heights  of  the  opposite  bank  to  oppose  our  passage,  a 
position  the  strength  of  which  the  redoubts  on  the  opposite  side  increased. 
Their  skirmishers  attempted  to  hold  the  bridge,  but  were  quickly 
driven  from  it,  and  the  troops  crossed  over,  General  Barlow's  Division 
leading.  Artillery  was  rapidly  put  in  position  to  cover  our  attack, 
but  the  enemy  moved  off  without  waiting  for  it.  The  redoubt  form 
ing  the  bridge  head  on  the  south  bank  was  blown  up  as  we  approached , 
and  eight  pieces  of  artillery  in  it  abandoned  to  us,  as  were  ten  pieces 
in  the  works  on  the  north  side  of  the  Appomattox." 

General  Humphreys,  in  his  history  of  the  Virginia  Cam 
paign  of  1864  and  1865,  places  great  importance  on  the  fact 
that  the  Second  Corps  was  able  to  cross  the  Appomattox  on  the 
yth  of  April.  If  Lee  had  not  been  detained  there,  and  at  Farm- 
ville,  he  could  have  reached  Appomattox  station  easily  on 
April  the  8th  and  Lynchburg  on  the  9th  of  April.  The  delay 
was  fatal  to  the  Confederate  cause.  It  gave  to  Sheridan  and 
Ord  the  opportunity  to  place  themselves  across  Lee's  path  at 
Appomattox  Court  House.  It  was  the  railroad  bridge  that 
was  called  High  Bridge  because  it  was  built  upon  piers  some 
sixty  feet  high,  across  the  narrow  river. 

This  was  the  last  engagement  in  which  the  Nineteenth 
Maine  ever  participated. 

LISTJDF  WOUNDED  AT  HIGH  BRIDGE, 

April  7,  1865. 

Colonel  Isaac  W.  Starbird  (seriously) ;  First  Leiutenant 
Charles  P.  Garland,  Company  H;  Barak  A.  Hatch,  Company  D; 
Samuel  Bassett,  Company  E,  and  Edward  P.  White,  Com 
pany  F. 

There  were  some  others  slightly  wounded  but  in  the  ex 
citement  and  confusion  of  the  closing  days  of  the  campaign, 
their  names  were  not  reported. 

The  Second  Corps  pursued  the  enemy  along  the  north  bank 
of  the  river  during  the  8th.  The  Sixth  Corps  kept  along  with 
the  Second  on  the  8th,  and  both  Grant  and  Meade  accompanied 


306  THE    NINETEENTH   MAINE  REGIMENT 

these  Corps.  It  was  a  very  hard  march  for  the  Regiment,  and 
many  fell  out  exhausted  during  the  day.  They  came  up,  how 
ever,  during  the  night,  but  some  of  them  did  not  reach  the 
Regiment  until  nearly  daylight.  Let  us  ask  Colonel  Spaulding 
to  describe  the  memorable  events  of  that  last  day's  campaigning 
of  the  old  Regiment: 

"The  next  day — Sunday,  April  9th — will  ever  mark  a  great  epocn 
in  the  history  of  our  country.  Our  march  began  at  about  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  was  not  more  than  five  or  six  miles  over  a  rough 
road  and  much  of  the  way  through  woods.  On  the  march  events 
occurred  which  we  never  had  witnessed  in  all  our  experience.  As  we 
trudged  along,  we  heard  the  sound  of  a  bugle  in  the  rear  continually 
growing  nearer,  and  we  found,  as  it  approached,  it  was  the  signal  for 
the  marching  column  to  clear  the  road;  and  then  came  a  large  caval 
cade  of  horsemen  with  that  great  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  at  their 
head,  proceeding  with  his  staff  and  guard  at  a  very  rapid  pace  to  the 
front.  We  all  cheered — everybody  yelled.  We  believed  it  a  happy 
and  significant  omen  when  it  appeared  of  more  importance  for  the 
Commanding  General  to  have  the  right-of-way  to  the  front  over  the 
man  behind  the  gun. 

"Shortly  after  a  second  bugle  sounded,  and  again  we  cleared  the 
road,  when  General  Meade,  sick  and  obliged  to  ride  in  an  ambulance 
as  he  was,  with  his  large  mounted  staff  and  guard,  passed  rapidly  to 
the  front.  Again,  we  cheered. 

"Later  our  road  cleared  the  woods,  and  at  a  little  house  on  a  hill 
we  discovered  the  flag  of  army  headquarters,  and  we  were  massed  in 
brigade  lines  in  the  field  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  Our  lines 
were  at  right  angles  with  the  road,  and  not  more  than  two  rods  apart. 

"Other  troops,  with  artillery  and  cavalry,  were  massed  in  like 
manner  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  just  ahead  of  us,  and  concealed 
from  our  view  by  a  belt  of  pine  woods. 

"As  far  back  as  we  could  see  from  the  high  ground  on  which  we 
stood,  troops  were  continually  arriving  and  being  massed  in  like  man 
ner.  .Arms  were  stacked  and  no  officer  or  man  was  allowed  to  leave 
his  company  or  regiment. 

"It  was  a  bright,  beautiful  Sabbath  day;  the  men  were  in  the  very 
best  of  spirits.  We  believed  we  were  facing  either  a  great  and  im 
portant  general  battle,  or  that  the  end  had  come.  You  must  remember 
that  we  had  not  heard  and  knew  nothing  of  the  correspondence  that 
had  already  taken  place  between  General  Grant  and  General  Lee. 

"Every  man  and  every  Company  was  discussing  the  probabilities. 
Every  possible  theory  had  its  advocates;  but  everybody  hoped  it 
meant  the  end  of  the  war.  How  we  did  long  for  peace!  The  hours 
of  suspense  and  anxiety  marched  with  slow  and  measured  steps.  At 
last,  between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  heard  tremend 
ous  cheering  from  the  troops  on  the  other  side  of  the  pines.  Each 
regiment  fell  into  line  behind  its  guns  as  the  best  way  for  everybody 
to  discover  the  cause,  and  shortly  through  the  woods,  came  General 
Meade  at  the  head  of  his  staff,  riding  at  a  very  rapid  speed,  and  as  he 
reached  us,  he  turned  into  the  field  and  rode  along  the  whole  length 
of  our  brigade  line,  then  back  in  front  of  the  next  brigade  line,  and  so 
he  went  back  and  forth,  giving  the  news  to  each  regiment  with  his  own 
mouth,  as  with  bared  head,  his  horse  travelling  for  all  his  worth,  that 


Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Isaac  W.  Starbird. 


THE  APPOMATTOX  CAMPAIGN  307 

sedate,  dignified,  ministerial  looking  officer,  paler  that  day  than  usua  1 
because  of  sickness,  was  crying  out  like  a  boy : 

41  'Peace,  boys,  peace!     Lee  has  surrendered!     Peace,  boys,  peace!' 

"And  so  he  rode  proclaiming  the  great  news. 

"Then  such  a  scene  as  followed !  Such  rejoicing!  Such  cheering ! 
The  sun  itself  was  almost  obscured  with  hats,  coats,  blankets,  haver 
sacks,  tossed  high  in  air.  Everything  went  up ;  even  some  of  the  small 
men  on  the  left  were  tossed  above  our  heads,  cheering  meanwhile. 
Tongue  nor  pen  cannot  begin  to  describe  nor  imagination  depict  that 
scene.  No  commissary  was  there,  but  men  were  drunk,  drunk,  from 
the  effervescence  of  their  own  exuberance.  It  was  the  most  contagious 
sort  of  inebriation — without  respect  to  rank  or  condition — all  were 
its  victims — all  were  overwhelmed. 

"Before  taps  we  were  talking  of  home  and  how  rejoiced  would  be 
the  loved  ones  there  when  the  news  reached  them." 

None  of  the  troops  of  the  Second  or  Sixth  Corps  got  any 
nearer  to  Appomattox  Court  House  than  New  Hope  or  Wolf 
Creek  church.  The  Second  and  Sixth  had  united  at  New  Store 
on  the  preceeding  day,  and  had  marched  on  the  same  road 
during  the  Qth,  the  Second  Corps  ahead  and  following  closely 
the  Confederate  infantry.  The  Fifth  Corps  had  passed  to  the 
south  of  the  Appomattox,  near  Farmville,  and  was  following 
the  cavalry  in  their  successful  effort  to  get  in  ahead  of  Lee  at 
Appomattox  station.  After  the  correspondence  between  Grant 
and  Lee  had  begun,  relative  to  the  surrender,  General  Hum 
phreys  was  notified  by  General  Grant  that  this  correspondence 
was  in  no  way  to  interfere  with  his  movements.  Humphreys, 
therefore,  pushed  ahead  with  vigor,  crowding  Longstreet's 
Corps,  the  rear  of  which  was  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  leading  troops  of  the  Second  Corps.  One  of  General 
Lee's  staff  officers,  with  a  flag  of  truce,  came  into  our  lines  and 
urged  Humphreys  not  to  press  Longstreet,  as  negotiations  were 
going  on  for  a  surrender.  General  Humphreys  sent  word  that 
the  request  could  not  be  complied  with,  and  that  Longstreet 
must  get  out  of  the  way  or  take  the  consequences.  About 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  and  after  advancing  about  half 
a  mile  further,  our  Corps  again  reached  the  vicinity  of  Long- 
street's  command,  and  here  the  Confederates  had  thrown  up 
some  intrenchments.  General  Humphreys  formed  his  own 
Corps  at  once  for  an  attack,  the  Sixth  Corps  being  on  our  right, 
and  just  at  the  moment  when  the  Union  lines  were  about  to 
charge  the  Confederates,  General  Meade  ordered  a  cessation  of 
hostilities. 


308  THE    NINETEENTH  MAINE    REGIMENT 

According  to  the  records  of  the  War  Department,  the 
number  of  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia  paroled  on  April  Qth  was  28,356.  Not  more  than  one- 
third  of  this  number  had  arms  at  the  time  oT  the  surrender. 
Those  who  had  no  arms  must  have  thrown  them  away  or 
secreted  them  when  they  found  that  they  must  surrender. 
The  country  was  open  to  the  Confederates  on  the  west  and 
northwest  and  thickly  wooded. 


JOYFUL  RETURN  HOME  309 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


JOYFUL  RETURN  HOME. 

When  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army  reached 
the  Union  lines,  some  of  our  troops  on  the  left  began  firing  a 
salute  in  honor  of  the  victory.  General  Grant,  however,  had 
it  stopped  at  once.  Rations  were  issued  by  General  Meade  to 
the  hungry  Confederate  troops.  The  men  were  kept  within 
close  limits  after  the  surrender.  The  boys  of  the  Regiment 
were  not  permitted  to  look  into  the  faces  of  the  brave  men  who 
had  been  overcome  and  compelled  to  surrender. 

Of  the  three  hundred  fighting  regiments,  so-called,  from 
having  lost  in  battle  upwards  of  130  men,  in  killed  and  mortally 
wounded,  Maine  furnished  thirteen  regiments.  Of  course  the 
Nineteenth  Maine  is  found  in  this  list.  Excluding  the  First 
Maine  Heavy  Artillery,  a  very  large  regiment,  having  a  total 
enrollment  of  upwards  of  2,200,  the  Nineteenth  stands  second 
in  extent  of  losses  in  that  list  of  thirteen  regiments.  Its 
killed  and  mortally  wounded  actually  numbered  200.  An 
unaccountable  fact  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the 
Regiment  is  that  only  three  commissioned  officers  were  killed 
or  mortally  wounded.  The  men  who  carried  rifles  in  this 
Regiment  would  contend  that  after  the  beginning  cf  1864 
no  regiment  from  Maine  had  better  commissioned  officers  than 
the  old  Nineteenth.  Some  of  the  officers  who  left  the  service  in 
'62  and  '63  did  not  remain  long  enough  with  the  Regiment  to 
show  whether  they  would  make  good  officers  or  not.  Others 
were  driven  from  the  service  by  disease.  Still  others  left  the 
service  and,  by  leaving,  did  the  service  more  good  than  they 
would  have  done  by  remaining. 

The  loss  of  the  Sixteenth  Maine  in  commissioned  officers, 
either  killed  or  mortally  wounded,  was  nine.  The  Sixth  Maine 
lost  twelve  and  the  Twentieth  Maine,  nine.  The  Thirty-first 


310  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

Maine  Regiment,  which  was  organized  in  March  and  April  '64, 
lost  eighteen  commissioned  officers  during  its  term  of  service. 
The  greater  portion  of  its  loss  occurred  in  the  first  three  months 
of  its  service.  The  First  Maine  Cavalry  and  the  Seventh 
Maine  Infantry  each  suffered  a  loss  of  fifteen  commissioned 
officers,  and  the  First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery,  twelve  com 
panies,  in  ten  months  lost  twenty-three  commissioned  officers 
in  killed  and  mortally  wounded. 

The  men  remained  resting  all  day  on  the  mth,  and  left 
their  camp  in  the  late  forenoon  of  April  nth,  for  the  return 
march.  We  reached  New  Store  and  encamped  the  night  of  the 
1 1  th,  neany  on  the  ground  we  had  marched  over  in  our  advance. 
We  left  camp  in  the  early  morning  of  the  i2th  and  marched  to 
Curdsville,  crossed  the  Little  Willis  river,  passing  through 
Farmville,  and  encamped  for  the  night  near  Bush  river.  The 
Corps  arrived  at  Burkeville  Junction  on  April  i3th,  where  we 
encamped  and  rested  during  the  remainder  of  the  month.  The 
Corps  went  into  camp  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  Lynchburg 
railroad  and  the  railroad  leading  to  Danville.  The  Third 
Division  camp  was  near  the  Lynchburg  road;  the  First,  near 
the  Danville  road,  while  our  own  Division  occupied  the  space 
between.  The  men  here  were  quartered  in  shelter-tents, 
generally  raised  from  the  earth  on  uprights.  The  ground  on 
which  we  were  encamped  was  somewhat  moist.  Good  water 
was  very  scarce  and  many  wells  were  dug  to  obtain  a  better 
sut.  p  y.  A  number  of  men  from  our  Division  were  taken  sick 
while  here,  resulting  probably  from  the  fatigues  of  the  recent 
hard  service  and  the  bad  water  they  were  compelled  to  drink. 
There  was  entire  lack  of  vegetables  in  the  rations  issued,  and 
the  men  did  not  feel  so  much  like  stealing  now  that  Lee's 
Army  had  surrendered. 

We  remained  near  Burkeville  Junction  without  picket  or 
guard  duty,  except  one  sentinel  at  Regimental  headquarters,  as 
orderly.  After  every  one  had  turned  in  for  the  night  on  Satur 
day,  the  1 5th  of  April,  a  solitary  horseman  was  heard  rapidly 
approaching,  who  turned  out  to  be  a  mounted  orderly  with 
orders.  When  a  candle  was  lighted  and  a  glance  at  the  first 
paper  was  had,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Spaulding  exclaimed,  "My 


JOYFUL    RETURN    HOME  311 

God!  President  Lincoln  has  been  assassinated."  Instantly  the 
camp  was  alive,  the  men  were  upon  their  feet,  and  the  cry  for 
revenge  was  heard  on  every  side.  No  one  could  understand 
just  what  it  meant.  Every  man  was  ready  for  any  duty. 
Orders  immediately  came  for  a  detail  for  picket  and  for  a  strong 
camp  guard  to  be  established.  There  was  little  sleep  that  night 
for  any  one. 

The  funeral  of  President  Lincoln  occurred  on  Wednesday, 
the  1 9th,  and  on  that  day  the  Brigade  was  assembled  and 
listened  to  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  great 
President,  delivered  by  Colonel  Stover,  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Eighty-fourth  Pennsylvania.  The  Regiment  remained 
here  quietly  in  camp  until  the  forenoon  of  Tuesday,  May  2nd, 
when  the  homeward  march  was  again  resumed.  The  night  of 
May  2nd  found  us  near  Jetersville,  the  march  having  been  along 
the  Danville  railroad.  Here  was  the  forty-fifth  mile  post  from 
Richmond.  On  May  3rd,  the  Corps  marched  through  Amelia 
Court  House  and  crossed  the  Appomattox  at  Goode's  Bridge. 
On  May  4,  the  Regiment  tramped  about  twenty  miles  to  Two- 
mile  Creek,  five  miles  from  Richmond.  Early  the  next  morn 
ing,  the  march  was  continued  to  Manchester  and  we  went  into 
camp,  within  one-half  mile  of  Richmond,  and  had  our  first 
view  of  that  noted  place.  Our  camp  was  on  the  high  bank  of 
the  river  opposite  the  city.  Here  our  Corps  was  joined  by  the 
Fifth,  which  had  come  through  Petersburg.  On  May  6th,  just 
one  year  after  the  bloody  Wilderness,  the  Second  and  Fifth 
Corps  marched  through  Richmond.  Nearly  all  day  long  the 
line  was  passing  through  the  streets  in  sight  of  Libby,  where 
so  many  of  our  boys  had  died,  along  by  the  public  buildings, 
through  the  aristocratic  portion  of  the  city,  and  out  into  the 
country.  Our  Corps  marched  on  the  Brook  road  to  Brook 
creek,  where  we  camped  for  the  night,  about  five  miles  from 
Richmond.  Early  Sunday  morning,  May  yth,  we  were  off  again 
and  marched  to  Yellow  Tavern,  where  General  Jeb  Stuart,  the 
splendid  Confederate  cavalry  leader,  was  mortally  wounded 
May  nth,  1864.  We  crossed  the  Chickahominy  at  Winston's 
bridge  and  marched  through  Hanover  Court  House  to  Little- 
page's  bridge  over  the  Pamunkey  river.  This  was  a  comfort- 


312  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

able  march  of  fifteen  miles,  through  a  beautiful  country,  with 
plenty  of  good  water  and  everybody  in  excellent  spirits.  It 
was  noted  by  every  one  how  much  easier  and  more  agreeable 
the  march  was  north,  in  May,  1865,  than  south,  in  May,  1864. 
The  next  day,  May  8th,  was  hot  and  dusty,  and  there  was  much 
straggling  in  our  march  of  eighteen  miles.  This  day's  tramp 
took  us  past  Concord  church,  Chesterfield  station  and  Mt. 
Carmel  church,  to  the  vicinity  of  Golansville.  On  Tuesday, 
May  the  9th,  we  marched  north  on  the  Telegraph  road,  over 
which  Lee's  Army  marched  south,  after  the  battle  of  Spottsyl- 
vania,  to  the  vicinity  of  Massaponax  church.  The  Regiment 
was  encamped  near  this  place  on  May  20th,  1864.  This  day's 
march  of  seventeen  miles  was  in  the  rain.  We  marched,  May 
loth,  through  Fredericksburg  in  the  afternoon,  crossed  the 
Rappahannock,  and  stopped  for  the  night  on  the  old  camp 
ground  near  Falmouth.  It  was  not  the  camp  ground  on  the 
hill  where  the  first  winter  was  passed,  but  the  later  one,  where 
we  pitched  horse  shoes  as  quoits,  during  the  mild  and  balmy 
spring  of  1863.  This  day's  march  was  about  twelve  miles. 
Two  years'  time  had  wrought  great  changes  in  the  country. 
Nature  had  already  commenced  the  work  of  restoring  and 
covering  up  the  devastations  of  an  invading  army.  A  young 
growth  of  vigorous  trees  had  begun  to  obliterate  the  evidences 
of  our  former  visit. 

On  Thursday,  May  i  ith,  our  march  was  by  Old  Tavern  to 
the  vicinity  of  Middle  run.  It  rained  all  the  afternoon  and 
nearly  all  night.  It  was  a  pleasant  day  on  the  march  the  I2th, 
and  we  made  about  fourteen  miles,  going  into  camp  near  Wolf 
Run  shoals  on  Occoquan  creek,  where  we  drew  rations  and 
enjoyed  a  good  night's  rest.  On  Saturday,  May  i3th,  the 
Regiment  started  early  and  marched  thirteen  miles,  halting 
for  the  night  at  Burke's  station,  some  twelve  miles  from  Wash 
ington.  Here  the  Regiment  remained  over  Sunday,  and  on  the 
1 5th  of  May  marched  to  Bailey's  crossroads.  This  was  our  last 
camping  ground  as  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Orders  were  received  on  May  i8th  to  prepare  muster  out 
rolls  of  the  Regiment.  The  Regiment  participated  in  the 
grand  review  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  Washington,  by 


JOYFUL  RETURN  HOME  313 

the  President,  on  Tuesday,  May  26th.  For  the  last  time,  the 
Nineteenth  appeared  in  Brigade  dress  parade,  on  Sunday,  May 
28th,  and  on  May  3oth,  in  a  review  of  the  Second  Corps. 

The  Regiment  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States  ser 
vice  on  May  3ist,  by  Captain  H.  Y.  Russell.  The  veterans  and 
recruits  were  transferred  to  the  First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery, 
which  last  named  regiment,  together  with  the  men  transferred 
from  ours,  was  mustered  out  of  service  on  the  nth  of  the 
following  September. 

On  the  morning  of  June  ist,  1865,  at  sunrise,  the  Regiment 
started  for  home.  The  whole  Brigade  turned  out  in  line  to 
give  us  a  parting  cheer  and  a  last  salutation. 

A  special  train  took  us  from  Washington  to  Baltimore, 
where  we  transferred  to  another  train,  and  reached  Phila 
delphia  at  midnight.  Here  we  found  a  warm  supper  awaiting 
us  at  the  blessed  old  Cooper  Shop  restaurant.  Soon  after 
partaking  of  the  hospitality  of  Philadelphia,  we  continued  on  our 
journey  to  South  Amboy,  where  we  took  a  steamer  for  New  York 
City,  arriving  there  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  June 
2nd.  When  we  reached  Portland,  Saturday  night,  June  3rd, 
we  found  a  bountiful  supper  awaiting  us,  prepared  by  the  ladies 
of  that  city.  These  tables  were  placed  in  the  railroad  station 
and  we  were  waited  upon  by  the  ladies  themselves.  The 
Regiment  reached  Augusta,  Sunday  morning,  June  4th,  and 
found  the  populace  in  the  streets  to  greet  us  on  our  march  to 
camp. 

From  Portland  to  Augusta  at  nearly  every  station  men 
left  the  train,  to  visit  home  or  relatives,  with  instructions  to 
report  at  Augusta  in  two  days.  On  the  afternoon  of  June  4th, 
the  Regiment  had  its  last  dress  parade,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Governor,  other  officials  and  a  large  gathering  of  people.  At 
the  request  of  Governor  Cony,  the  members  of  the  Regiment 
visited  the  State  House,  on  June  5th,  where  the  men  were  ad 
dressed  by  the  Governor,  who  took  each  one  by  the  hand,  as  they 
passed  him  in  single  file.  Public  officials  and  private  citizens, 
indeed  everybody,  sought  to  make  the  home-coming  of  the 
Regiment  a  joyful  event. 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

The  Regimental  colors  delivered  to  the  Adjutant-General 
of  Maine  were  the  original  colors  of  the  Regiment.  The  Na 
tional  flag  was  carried  in  every  engagement  in  which  the  Regi 
ment  participated.  ^ 

In  pursuance  with  General  Orders  No.  10,  dated  March 
yth,  1865,  issued  by  General  Meade,  the  Regiment  was  author 
ized,  as  already  stated,  to  inscribe  upon  its  colors  the  following 
names  of  battles  in  which  it  bore  a  conspicuous  part,  viz: 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Bristoe  Station, 
Mine  Run,  Wilderness,  Po  River,  North  Anna,  Totopotomoy, 
Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Deep  Bottom,  Strawberry  Plains, 
Reams'  Station  and  Boydton  Road.  The  battle  of  Petersburg 
included  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road.  There  was  no  reason 
why  Morton's  Ford  should  not  have  been  included  in  this  list. 
Subsequent  to  March  yth,  1865,  the  date  of  Meade's  order, 
the  Regiment  was  engaged  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Crow  House 
and  High  Bridge  and  was  present  at  Appomattox. 

The  Nineteenth  Maine  Regiment  was  paid  off  by  Major 
Robie  on  Wednesday  June  the  yth,  1865,  and  broke  ranks  for 
ever. 

May  Heaven's  choicest  blessing  rest  upon  the  survivors 
of  the  dear  old  Regiment  and  the  families  of  those  who  have 
passed  over  the  river  into  the  encampment  upon  the  other  side! 


Roster 


ROSTER 


3'7 


Roster  of  the  Nineteenth  Regiment 
of  Maine  Volunteers. 


Absent 

Appointed 

Artillery 

Battery 

Captain 

Company 

Conscript 

Corporal 

Deserter       ) 

Deserted      f 

Detached 

Detailed 

Discharged  for  disability 

Discharged  for  cause  other 

disability  . 
Expiration  . 
First  Me.  Heavy 

Artillery    . 
Hospital 
Lieutenant    . 


LIST  OF  ABBREVIATIONS. 

abs.  Missing 

apptd.  Musician 

arty.  Mustered  out  of  service 

batt.  Promoted 

capt.  Principal 

.  co.  Prisoner 

cons.  Private 

corp.  Reduced  to  ranks 

des.  Reported 

Regimental 

det.  Sergeant 

Service 

disc.  Substitute     . 

than  Transferred  . 

disch.  United  States  Colored 
exp.  Troops 

Veteran 

1st  H.  A.  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 

hosp.  Wounded 

lieut.  Wounds. 


missg. 

mus. 

m.  o. 

pr. 

pnn. 

pris. 

priv. 

red. 

reptd. 

regtl. 

sergt. 

serv. 

sub. 

tr. 


U.  S.  C.  T. 

vet. 

.   V.  R.  C. 

.   .         wd. 

wds. 


LIST  OF  BATTLES  IN  WHICH  THE  REGIMENT 
ENGAGED. 


WAS 


Fredericksburg Dec.    12-15,  '62 

Chancellorsville May      1-  4,  '63 

Thoroughfare  Gap  or  Haymarket,  Va June   25,  '63 

Gettysburg July    1-3,  '63 

Bristoe  Station Oct.       14,  '63 

Mine  Run Nov.   27-30,  '63 

Morton's  Ford Feb.    6,  '64 

Wilderness May    5-7,  '64 

Spottsylvania,  (including  Po  River) May    8-18,  '64 

North  Anna May    22-26,  '64 

Totopotomoy ...May   28 — June    1,  '64 

Cold  Harbor June   3-12,  '64 

Petersburg June    16-18,  '64 

Jerusalem  Plank  Road June   22,  '64 

Deep  Bottom July    25-28,  '64 

Strawberry  Plains Aug.    14-18,  '64 

Reams'  Station Aug.    25,  '64 

Boydton  Road Oct.     27,  '64 

Hatcher's  Run Feb.    5-6,  '65 

Crow  House March.  31 — Apr.  2,  '65 

High  Bridge _ _ _ __ Apr.    7,  '65 


3i8 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


COLONELS 
DATE  OP  COM.  NAME  RESIDENCE  REMARKS 

Aug.  25/62 Frederic  D.  Sewell   . .  .  .Bath Resigned,  Feb.  19,  '63. 

Mch.     2/63 Francis  E.  Heath    Waterville Wd.  Gettysburg,  resigned,  Nov.  4,  '63 

Dec.      1 Selden  Connor Fairfield Wd.  Wilderness,  promoted  brig.  gen.  July  1,  '64 

m.  o.,  Apr.  7,  '66. 
Aug.  16/64 James  W.  Welch Augusta Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Spottsylvania  resigned 

Oct.  21,  '64. 
Nov.  11,      Isaac  W.  Starbird Litchfield Wd.  Gettysburg  and  High  Bridge,  discharged 

June  7,  '65. 

LIEUTENANT-COLONELS 

July    17/62 Francis  E.  Heath    Waterville Promoted  Colonel. 

Mch.     2/63 Henry  W.  Cunningham  Belfast Resigned  June  11,  '64. 

Nov.     3/64 Isaac  W.  Starbird Litchfield Promoted  colonel. . . 

Nov.  11 Joseph  W.  Spaulding     .  Richmond Mustered  out  May  3 1 ,  '65. 

MAJORS 

Aug.  25/62 Henry  W.  Cunningham  Belfast Promoted  lieutenant-colonel. 

Mch.     2/63 James  W.  Welch Augusta Promoted  colonel. 

Aug.  16/64 Isaac  W.  Starbird Litchfield Promoted  lieutenant-colonel. 

Nov.     3 Joseph  W.  Spaulding  .  .Richmond Promoted  lieutenant-colonel. 

Nov.  11 David  E.  Parsons Norridgewock. .  .  .Wd.  Wilderness,  mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

ADJUTANTS 

July   21/62 Frank  W.  Haskell Waterville Discharged  Feb.  6.  '64. 

Aug.  16/64 Henry  Sewall Augusta Mustered  out  May  31.  '65. 

QUARTERMASTERS 

July    15/62.... James  W.  Wakefield    .  .Bath Resigned  Nov.  13,  '63. 

Mch.     9/64 Albert  Hunter Clinton Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

SURGEONS 

Aug.     6/62. . . .  Adoniram  J.  Billings  . . .  Freedom Resigned  Jan.  11,  '64. 

Feb.     3/64....Hawes,  John  Q.  A Hallowell Resigned  Nov.  2.  '64. 

Nov.  11 William  H.  Randall     .  .Dixfield Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

ASSISTANT  SURGEONS 

July   26/62. . .  .Henry  C.  Levansaler    .  .Thomaston Discharged  Aug.  17,  '63. 

Sept.    2 John  Q.  A.  Hawes    Hallowell Resigned  June  22, '63. 

July    17/63. . .  .Wallace  Bolan New  Sharon Resigned  Mar.  22,  '64. 

Aug.  20 Fred  G.  Parker   Stetson Discharged  Mar.  5,  '64. 

Apr.     7/64 William  H.  Randall    . .  .Dixfield Promoted  surgeon. 

Apr.     9,'      ....  Benjamin  F.  Sturgis  . . .  N.  Gloucester. . . .  Resigned  Oct.  22,  "64. 
Nov.     8 Benjamin  Bussey,  Jr.  . .  Houlton Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

CHAPLAINS 

Aug.  16/62 Eliphalet  Whittlesey   . .  Brunswick Promoted  captain  and  A.  A.  G. 

Oct.      1 Edwin  B.  Palmer Belfast Resigned  Feb.  16, '63. 

June  13/63 George  W.  Hathaway    .Skowhegan Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

NON-COMMISSIONED  STAFF 

SERGEANT-MAJORS 
DATE  OF  RANK  NAME  RESIDENCE  REMARKS 

Aug.  16/62 William  P.  Joy Waterville Tr.  Co.  A.  as  priv.  disc.  Pea.  6,  '64. 

Feo.    16/63 George  A.  Wadsworth   .  Bath Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  2nd  It.  Co.  E,  Aug.  15,  '63. 

Dec      6  '63. . .  .Andrew  D.  Black   Stockton App't  q.  m.  sergt. 

Mch.  22/64. . .  .William  A.  Wood   Bowdoinham Pris.  North  Anna. 

QUARTER-MASTER  SERGEANTS 

July   25/62 Benjamin  B.  Hanson  .  .Pittston.  ........  Pr.  2d  lieut.  Co.  K.  Dec.  13,  '62. 

Dec     19  '62   . .  .George  H.  Page Warren Pr.  2d  lieut.  Co.  E.  Oct.  10,  '63. 

Oct.    2 7 ,'63.... George  J.  Eaton   Bath Died  Mar.  27,  '64. 

Mch.  30/64 Andrew  D.  Black Stockton Disch.  with  regiment. 

COMMISSARY  SERGEANTS 

July   22/62. . .  .Thomas  D.  Wakefield    .Bath Red.  to  ranks  Co.  K  disc.  Jan.  18,  '63. 

July    15/63 John  C.  Knowlton Montville Disc.  Mar.  20,  '65. 

Jan.    15/64 Daniel  Carley Prospect Tr.  from  4th  Me.  disch.  July  1,  '64. 

July     1/64 Joseph  W.  Winter Bath Disch.  with  regiment. 

HOSPITAL  STEWARDS 

Aug.  11/62 Delon  H.  Abbott Orono Disch.  for  promotion  July  16,  '63.  't 

Aug.  24/63 Charles  H.  Dodge Freedom Disch.  with  regiment. 


ROSTER  319 

PRINCIPAL  MUSICIANS 
DATE  OF  RANK  NAME  RESIDENCE  REMARKS 

Dec.      1/63. . . .  J.  Loyalist  Brown Bowdoinham Pr.  from  Co.  A. 

Feb     12/64 Lauriston  Chamberlain  Bowdoinham Pr.  from  Co.  F. 

June  15/64 Fred  J.  Low Winterport Tr.  from  4th  Me.  disch.  July  1,  '64. 

DRUM  MAJOR 

Nov.     2/62. . .  .Daniel  R.  Maddox    Belfast Disch.  Nov.  28.  '62  by  order  126. 

FIFE  MAJOR 

July   25/62 Carter  W.  Payson Camden Disch.  Nov.  28.  '62  by  order  126. 

CAPTAINS 
DATE  OF  COM.  NAME  RESIDENCE      Co.  REMARKS 

Aug.  25/62 James  W.  Hathaway   .  .Mercer A  .  .Resigned  Nov.  5,  '62. 

Nov.  21, Joseph  W.  Spaulding   .  .Richmond A  .  .Promoted  major. 

Jan.      4/65 John  A.  Lord Belfast A  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  23/62. . .  .Lindley  B.  Coleman  .  .  . Lincolnville B  .  .Died  Oct.  18,  '62. 

Nov.     1 Horace  C.  Noyes Belfast B  .  .Resigned  Feb.  20,  '63. 

June  23/63 David  E.  Parsons Norridgewock.  .  B  .  .Promoted  major. 

Nov.  28/64 Calvin  B.  Hinckley Norridgewock.  .  B  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.     1/62....  Charles  H.  Rowell Fairneld C...  Resigned  Oct.  12,  '62. 

Aug.  25,'             George  L.  Whitmore.  .  .  Bowdoinham. .  .C. .  .Resigned  Nov.  7,  '63. 
Dec.    18/63. . .  .Charles  E.  Nash Hallowell C. . .  Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Reams'  Station,  dis 
charged  Nov.  28,  '64. 

Jan.      4/65.... Thomas  P.  Beath   Boothbay C... Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62. . .  .William  H.  Fogler Belfast D  .  . Wd.  Totopotomoy,  discharged  Nov.  2,  '64. 

Aug.  16/64 Elbridge  C.  Pierce Belfast D  .  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o.  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Daniel  L.  Dickey Stockton E  .  .Resigned  Jan.  1,  '63. 

Feb.    11/63 Asbury  C.  Richards   . .  .  Pittston E  .  .Discharged  Sept.  18,  '63. 

Oct.    19 Nehemiah  Smart Swanville E  .  .Wd.  Spottsylvania,  mustered  out  May  31/65. 

Aug.  25/62 Isaac  W.  Starbird Litchfield F  . .  Promoted  major. 

Oct.    22/64.... Ansel  L.  White Belfast F  ..Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62. . . .  Tames  W.  Welch  .....  .Augusta G  .  .Promoted  major. 

Apr.    10/63.  . .  .Everett  M.  Whitehouse  China G  .  .Wd.  Wilderness,  term  expired  Oct.  14,  '64. 

Oct.      4/64 Addison  W.  Lewis Waterville G  .  .Discharged  June  9,  '65. 

Aug.  2 5 ,'62.... Joseph  Eaton  Jr Winslow H  ..Resigned  Oct.  31,  '62. 

Dec.      1 Willard  Lincoln China H  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  discharged  June  10,  '65. 

Aug.  25,'      ....Edward  A.  Snow Rockland I    .  .Resigned  Feb.  23,  '63. 

Mch.     2/63....Geo.  D.  Smith Rockland I    .  .Killed  Gettysburg  July  2,  '63. 

Oct.    19,       . . .  .Edgar  A.  Burpee Rockland I    .  .Pris.  Petersburg,  discharged  May  15,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62.... Charles  S.  Larrabee   .  .  .Bath K  ..Resigned  Mch.  3,  '63. 

Mch.     2/63 Dumont  Bunker   Fan-field K  .  .Discharged  Oct.  26,  '64. 

Nov.  11  ,'64.... Oliver  R.  Small Gardiner K  ..Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS 

Aug.  25/62. ..  .Joseph  W.  Spaulding   ..Richmond A  .  .Piomoted  captain  Co.  A. 

Nov.  21 David  E.  Paisons     Noiridgewock.  .A  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  B. 


uly    12/64. . .  .Henry  Sewall 

Aug.  11,       Josiah  W.  Tucker 

Feb.     1/65 George  Studley     . 

Aug.  25/62 William  Clements 

Nov.  21,       Jason  Gordon 


.Augusta A  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  promoted  adjutant. 

.MercCi- A  .  .Resigned  Dec.  28,  '64. 

.Camden A  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

.Monroe B  .  .Resigned  Oct.  17,  '62. 

.Thorndike B  .  .Resigned  Feb.  17/63. 


Mch.     2/63 Elisha  W.  Ellis   Monroe B  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  resigned  D«c.  12,  '63. 

Jan.    22/64 Ansel  L.  White   Belfast B  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  F. 

Oct.    22 Calvin  B.  Hinckley Norridgewock.  .  B  .  .  Promoted  captain  Co.  B. 

Nov.  28 Alfred  E.  Nickerson  .  .  .Swanville B  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Joseph  H.  Hunt   Unity C   .  .Resigned  Oct.  21,  '62. 

Nov.     1 Francis  M.  Ames Fairneld C  .  .Resigned  Nov.  18,  '62. 

Aug.  25 Joseph  Nichols Phipsburg C  .  .Cashiered  Feb.  16,  '63. 

Mch.     2/63 Albion  Whitten Troy C  .  .Resigned  Nov.  17,  '63. 

Jan.      4/64. . .  .William  H.  Emery   ....  Fairneld C  . .  Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness,  discharged, 

Oct.  13,  '64. 

Nov.  28,      James  H.  Pierce   Prospect C   . .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Horace  C.  Noyes Belfast D  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  B. 

Nov.  21 Edw'd  R.  Cunningham  Belfast D  .  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  discharged  June  15,  '64. 

July    11/64 Elbridge  C.  Pierce Belfast D  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  D. 

Oct.    22 John  A.  Lord Belfast D  .  .  Promoted  captain  Co.  A. 

Jan.      4/65 Charles  Bennett Bridgton D  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62. . .  James  Johnson Searsport E  .  .Resigned  Oct.  2,  '62. 

Oct.    15,       . . . .  John  L.  Tapley Frankfort E  .  .Resigned  Feb.  14,  '63. 

Mch.    2/63 Nehemiah  Smart Swanville E  .  . Promoted  captain  Co.  E. 

Oct.    19 George  A.  Wadsworth    Bath E  .  .Discharged  Apr.  27, '64. 

July    12/64 Oliver  R.  Small Gardiner E  .  .  Promoted  captain  Co.  K. 

Oct.       4 Edward  B.  Sargent  ....  Boothbay E  .  .  Discharged  June  9,  '65. 

Aug.   25/62 George  L.  Whitmore     .  Bowdoinham  .  .  F. . .  Promoted  captain  Co.  C.  ^ 

Oct.      4 Charles  E.  Nash   Hallowell F. . .  Promoted  captain  Co.  C. 

Jan.    22/64. . .  .Edwin  H.  Rich    Thorndike F. .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Everett  M.  Whitehouse  China G  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  G. 


320  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

DATE  OF  COM.  NAME  RESIDENCE        Co.  REMARKS 

Apr.   10,'63....Loring  Farr Manchester G  .  .Wd.  North  Anna,  disc.  Sept.  15,  '64. 

Oct.    22, '64.... George  P.  Wood Penobscott G  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62. . .  .Willard  Lincoln China H  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  H. 

Dec.     1 Albert  Hunter    .    9^nt?n H  •  • Wd-  Gettysburg,  promoted  Quartermaster. 

July   18/64. . .  .Charles  P.  Garland   Wmslow H  . .  Wd.  Gettysburg  and  High  Bridge    mustered 

out  May  M,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Gershom  F.  Burgess  . .  .Camden I    .  .Resigned  Feb    10   '63 

Mch.     2/63. . .  .George  D.  Smith Rockland I    .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  I. 

Mch.    10,  Edgar  A.  Burpee Rockland I    .  .  Promoted  captain  Co   I 

Oct.    19 George  R.  Palmer Camden I    .  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  discharged  Aug  9   "64 

Oct.    22 .'64.... William  B.  Sawyer Searsport I    .  .Mustered  out  May  31, '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Joseph  Nichols Phipsburg K  .  .Transferred  to  Co.  C. 

Dec.    13 Dumont  Bunker   Fairfield K  .  .  Promoted  captain  Co.  K. 

Mch.     2/63 Richard  Crockett Brunswick K  .  .Discharged  Apr.  26,  '64. 

June  22/64 Thomas  P.  Beath Boothbay K  ..  Promoted  captain  Co  C 

Jan.      4/65 ....  Beniah  P.  Dolloff Boothbay K  . .  Mustered  out  May  3 1 ,  '65. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS 

Aug.  25/62 David  E.  Parsons Norridgewock.  .A  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  A. 

Dec.      1 Alvirus  Osborne Smithfield A  .  .  Discharged  March  4,  '64. 

Mch.  16/64 Josiah  W.  Tucker Mercer A  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  A. 

Oct.    22 George  Studley Camden A  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  A. 

Feb.      1/65 Columbus  S.  Anderson    Richmond A  .  .Discharged  Mar.  17,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Levi  Rackliffe   Lincolnville . .  .  .B  .  .Resigned  Oct.  29,  '62. 

Dec.    13,      .... Leroy  S.  Scott Belfast B  .  . Mortally  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  13,  V3 

Jan.    22/64 Calvin  B.  Hinckley Norridgewock. .  B  ..Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  B. 

Oct.    22 Alfred  E.  Nickerson  . .  .Swanville B  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut..  Co.  B. 

Nov.  28 Clarendon  W.  Gray Stockton B  .  .Discharged  June  9,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Francis  M.  Ames Fairfield C. .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  C. 

Nov.     1 Almon  Goodwin Baldwin C. .  .Resigned  Dec.  17,  '62. 

Dec.   31,       Albion  Whitten Troy C. .  .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  C. 

Mch.     2  ,'63....  Francis  H.  Foss Fairfield C...Wd.  Gettysburg,  resigned  Oct.  27,  '63. 

Dec.    18 William  H.  Emery   Fairfield C. .  .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  C. 

Jan.      4/64. . .  .Henry  W.  Nye Fairfield C. .  .Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Spottsylvania,  discharg 
ed  Feb.  23,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Edw'd  R.  Cunningham  Belfast D  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  D. 

Nov.  21 Ansel  L.  White Belfast D  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  B. 

Jan.    22/64 Elbridge  C.  Pierce Belfast D  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  D. 

July    12 John  A.  Lord Belfast D  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  D. 

Oct.      4,       Charles  Bennett Bridgton D  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  D. 

Jan.      4/65. . .  .Franklin  Adams   Bowdoinham. .  .D  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  2  5  ,'62....  John  L.  Tapley Frankfort E  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut  Co.  E. 

Dec.    13,'      Nehemiah  Smart Swanville E  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  E. 

Aug.  15/63....  George  A.  Wadsworth   .Bath E  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  E. 

Oct.    19/63 George  H.  Page Warren E  .  .Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug   25/62 Charles  E.  Nash Hallowell F..  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  F. 

July  23 Edwin  H.  Rich Thorndike F  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  F. 

Jan.    22/64 Oliver  R.  Small Gardiner F  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  E. 

July   11 William  B.  Sawyer  . .  .  .Searsport F. . .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  I. 

Oct.    22,       Joseph  Babson Brooklyn F.  ..Mustered  out  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 George  C.  Hopkins  .  .  .  .Mt.  Vernon.  .  .  .G  .  .Resigned  Jan.  27,  '63 

Feb.     5/63 Loring  Farr Manchester G  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  G. 

June  13 Henry  Sewall Augusta G  . .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  A. 

July  26/64 George  A.  Barton Augusta G  .  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o.  May  31,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62 Albert  Hunter Clinton H  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut  Co.  H. 

Dec.    13,       Stephen  R.  Gordon    ...Clinton H  ..  Resigned  Nov.  5, '63. 

Dec.    18/63 Charles  P.  Garland  . .  .  .  Winslow H  . .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  H. 

§.ily    11/64 George  P.  Wood   Penobscot H  .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  G. 
ct.    22 William  H.  Tripp    Sedgwick H  .  .Mustered  out  May  31, '65. 

Aug.  25/62 George  D.  Smith Rockland I    .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  I. 

Mch.     2/63. . .  .Edgar  A.  Burpee Rockland I    .  .Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  I. 

Mch.   10,  George  R.  Palmer Camden I    .  .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  I. 

Oct.    19 Joseph  L.  Clark Rockland I    .  .Resigned  Nov.  30, '63. 

Feb.     2/64 Lafayette  Carver Vinalhaven I    .  .Mortally  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died 

June  22,  '64. 

July    11 Thomas  B.  Campbell     .Thomaston 1    .  .Discharged  Nov.  22,  '64. 

July    18/62 Charles  S.  Larrabee    . .  .Bath K  .  .Promoted  captain  Co.  K. 

July   28 Dumont  Bunker   Fairfield K  .  .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  K. 

Dec     13 Benjamin  B.  Hanson  .  .Pittston K  .  .Resigned  Jan.  23,  '63. 

Mch.    2/63. . .  .Richard  Crockett Brunswick K  . .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  K. 

Mch.    2 Samuel  E.  Bucknam  . .  Eastport K  . .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  discharged  Apr.  1.   64. 

Feb.     2/64....  James  N.  Hinkley Georgetown. ..  .K  ..Died  of  wds.  Feb.  18,  '64. 

June  22 George  E.  Grows Brunswick K  . .  Died  of  wds.  July  7,  '64. 

Aug      8 Beniah  P.  Dolloff Boothbay K  . .  Promoted  1st  lieut.  Co.  K. 

Jan.      4/65.... William  L.  Gerrish Portland K..Died  Feb.  11,  '65. 


ROSTER 


321 


NAME 

Mvirus  Osborne. . . 
fosiah  W.  Tucker . 
rhomas  M.  Heald.  .  . 
Charles  H.  Colburn. . 


COMPANY   A. 
SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED  AND  JOINED  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 

SERGEANTS 

AGB       RESIDENCE      MUSTKRED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.33.  .Smithfield Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  2d.  lieut.  Co.  A. 

.35.  .Mercer Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  2d  and  1st  lieut.  Co.  A. 

.23.  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  1st  sergt.  killed,  Boydton  Road. 

.33.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .    Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  June  15,  '64. 

iVilliam  R.  Gary 30.  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25.  '62  .  .Disc.  Oct.  31,  '62. 

CORPORALS 

[ohn  F.  Chadbourn....24.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Disc.  March  19.  '63. 

^eonard  H.  Washburn . 3 5 .  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  1st  sergt.  killed.  Spottsylvania. 

Vsa  Andrews,  Jr 41 .  .Moscow Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Wilderness,  abs.  at  m.  o. 

^ayson  T.  Heald 20.  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  of  wds.  Aug.  5,  '63. 

William  Frederic,  Jr.  ..34.  .Mercer Aug.  25.  '62  ..Red.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  June  3.  '63. 

}ardiner  W.  Bigelow  .  .26.  .Smithfield Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  March  16  '64. 

lumphrey  P.  Ridley. .  .34.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  sergt.  disc.  July  14,  '65. 

izekiel  K.Morse 22.  .Starks Aug.  25.  '62  .  .Died,  Oct.  4,  '62,  Washinton,  D.  C. 

MUSICIANS 

'.  Loyalist  Brown 28.  .  Bowdoinham Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pro.  prin.  mus.,  Dec.  1,  "63,  m.  o. 

'eremiah  Hartford  . .  .  .44.  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Disc.  Feb.  8,  '63. 

WAGONER 

Jamuel  D.  Jordan 32.  .Richmond Aug.  25.  '62  .  .Det.  in  brigade  train,  m.  o. 

PRIVATES 

Anderson,  Columbus. .  .21 .  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  2d  lieut.,  Co.  A. 

Anderson,  Joseph  W..  .25.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Petersburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Baker,  Abner 33.. Mercer    Aug.  25, '62  .  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,    died    of    wds 

Aug.  6,  '63. 

Beedle,  Wilbur  F 19.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Disc.  Jan.  28,  '63. 

Bigelow,  Charles  H.  ...  18.  .Smithfield Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Spottsylvania  and  Boydton  Road,  m.  o. 

3uker,  John  C 27.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  corp.  disc.  May  31,  '65. 

Juker,  William  F 19.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.,  corp.  and  sergt    m  o 

iumpus,  Alson  B 31.  .The  Forks Aug.  25,  '62  .  .M.  o. 

iutler,  Edward  K 18.  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .M.  o. 

Chapman,  Leander  G..  19.  .Starks Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Disc.  March  26,  '63. 

Iharles,  Arthur  E 18.  .Rome Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Died  Feb  9,  '65    of  wds.  rec'd.  at  Hatcher's 

Run. 

'harles,  Benjamin  F. .  .19.  .Rome Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.    Gettysburg,    pris.,    Jerusalem    Plank 

Road,  paroled,  disch  June  12,  '65. 

!hase,  Roger 18.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .M.  o. 

'hurch,  John  P 22.  .Gardiner Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  to  navy  Apr   23    '64 

lollins,  Charles  W 19.  .Starks Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Killed,  Gettysburg,  July  2,  '63. 

:ollins,  Elliott  F 18.  .Starks Aug.  25,  '62  .  .In  hosp.  at  m.  o. 

'opeland,  Edward  W.    32.  .Smithfield Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Died,  Dec.  21,  '62. 

)awes,  John  D 28.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .M.  o. 

)owns,  John  L 19.  .Mercer Aug.  25,  '62  •.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

Jresser,  Emerson 32.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Det.  serv.  disch.  June  12,  '65. 

)astman,  Franklin.  .  .  .43.  .Gardiner Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o.  . 

'ish,  Osborne  W 35.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  March  10,  '64. 

'oss,  Kingman 19.  .Moscow Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pr.  corp.  killed,  Wilderness. 

oss,  William  H 19.  .Rome Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Died  of  measles  Jan.  21,  '63. 

rage,  Hiram  W 18.  .Norridgewock.  .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road   tr  V 

R.  C. 

age  S.  Nelson 19.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Disc.  Sept.  1,  '63. 

raubert,  Thomas  J.  ...  18.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Det  in  ambulance  corps,  m.  o. 

eorge,  John  R 19.  .New  Sharon  .  .  .   Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch.  June  12> 

'65 

roves,  Robert  W 33.  .Smithfield Aug.  25,  '62  ..Wd.  Spottsylvania,  disc.  July  21,  '64 

roves,  Charles  H 22.  .Norridgewock.  . .  Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Spottsylvania  and  Oct.  11,  '64,  m.  o. 

ieald,  Perham 18.  .Norridgewock. .  .Aug.  25,  '62  .  .  Pr.  corp.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road    disch 

June  12,  '65. 

luff.  Tilly 18.  .Mercer Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Pris.  Reams'  Station,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 

[untington,  Uriah  ...  .44.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Died  at  Washington,  D.  C.  Jan.  31,  '63. 

igalls,  Joseph  F 18.  .Mercer Aug.  25,  '62  .  .  Pris.    Jerusalem    Plank    Road,     disch. 

June  12,  '65. 

anes,  Amos  R 18.  .Madison Aug.  25,  '62  .  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 

srdan,  Elias  T 35.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  . .  Pr.  corp.tr.  V.  R.  C.  Dec.  15,  '63. 

!ennison,  Andrew 38.  .Norridgewock.  . .  Aug.  25,  '62  . .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  leg  amputated  ,  disc. 

Oct.  13,  '63. 

.imball,  John  B 33.  .Mercer Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Died  Nov.  16,  '62. 

imball,  Alvin 37.  .Mercer Aug.  25,  '62  ..Disc.  Feb.  5,  '63. 

ancaster,  Henry  H.  .  .22.  .Stetson Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Died  Feb.  19,  '63. 

ancaster,  John  P 24.  .Richmond Aug.  25,  '62  .  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 


322 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME 


AGE       RESIDENCE 


Leavitt,  Henry 26.  .Richmond.  .  . . 


Leavitt,  Samuel 23. 

Leeman.  Eben 20. 

Leeman,  Seth  H 24. 

Mathews,  Marcellus  S..  18. 
Maxim,  Philander  C.  .  .26. 

Meader,  John  W 18. 

Merrill,  John.  Jr 21. 

Moore,  Lorenzo 43  . 

Moshier,  Charles  R.  .  .  .35. 
Murphy.  William  B.. .  .23. 

Newell,  Arthur 18. 

Nottage,  William  H....38. 
Patterson,  Jos.  R.  Jr.. .  18. 
Perkins,  Marcellus  S.  . .  18.  . 

Powers,  Isaac 38. 

Ridley,  George  R 28. 

Riggs,  Isaac  A 27. 

Rowe,  Charles  M 28. 

Rowe,  Sherburne  N 26. 

Rowe,  Isaiah  H 22. 

Sawtelle,  Levander.  .  .  .23. 

Small,  Richard 40. 

Smith,  Edward  H 21. 

Taylor,  Alfred 19. 

Taylor,  Seth  E 29. 

Tibbetts,  Isaac  W 21. 

Tibbetts,  Charles  H..  .  .21 . 

Trott,  William  F 18. 

Turner,  Stephen  W.  ...  36 . 

Varney,  Hiram  W 36. 

Varney,  Edwin  K 18 . 

Vigue,  Louis 40 . 

Washburn,  Daniel  M..  .24. 

Weaver,  George  M 24. 

Webster,  John  R 23. 

Wells,  Obed  W 21. 

Wells.  Bradford  B 20. 

Williams,  David 24. 

Young,  Abel  L 44 . 


.  Richmond .  . . 

.Starks 

.Starks 

.  Madison  .... 

.Moscow 

.Mercer 

.Richmond.  .  . 
.Richmond.  .  . 

.Rome 

.  Norridgewock 
.Richmond.  .  . 

.Starks 

.Richmond.  .  . 

Madison 

.  Norridgewock 
.  Richmond .  .  . 

.Mercer 

.Smithfield  . . . 
.Smithfield  ... 
.Smithfield  . . . 

.Starks 

.Richmond.  .  . 
.Richmond.  .  . 
.  Norridgewock 
.  Norridgewock 

.Mercer 

.Mercer 

.Richmond.  .  . 
.Richmond.  .  . 
.  Norridgewock 
.Smithfield  . . . 
.  Carratunk  . . . 

.Madison 

.Starks 

.  Norridgewock 

.Mercer 

.Mercer 

.  Perkins 

.Smithfield  ... 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 
.  .Aug.  25,  "62  . .  Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died  Anders^n- 

ville  Nov.  1,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25. '62..  Disc.  Jan.  13. '«. 
.Aug.  25/62.   Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Aug.  1.  '63. 
.Aug.    25/62.  .Died  typhoid  fever  Jan.  10,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  measles,  Jan.  6,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  killed,  Wilderness  May  6.  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  6,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Des.  Falmouth.  Va.,  June  10.  '63,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  killed,  Wilderness. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Feb.  5,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Died  disease  of  lungs  Jan.  3,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  May  5.  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  ambulance  corps,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Nov.  25,  '62. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Killed  Wilderness. 
.Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Dec.  18,  '62. 
.Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  North  Anna,  pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Sick  in  hosp.  since  Dec.  24,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Wilderness  May  6,  '64,  pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.. Died  Nov.  20,  '62  on  way  to  Washington,  D.  C. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Wd.  Petersburg  June  19,  '64,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Petersburg  June  16,  '64,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  19,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Died  Jan.  7,  '63  Alexandria,  Va. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Frederick  City,  Oct.  17,  '62. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  15,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pro.  a.  q.  m.  of  vols.  disc.  May  26,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  28, '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch.  June  12,   '65. 
.Aug.  25/62. .  Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  May  26,  '63. 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 


Anderson,  Martin  V 19  . 

Armstrong,  John  L.  .  .  .27. 

Bagley,  Alexander 30 . 

Bean,  Danville 26 . 

Bean,  Jeremiah 44. 

Blake,  William 22. 

Burns,  Benjamin 28. 

Carroll,  James 28 . 

Cotter,  William 21. 

Curtis,  John  G 44. 


.Pleasant  Ridge  Jan. 

Winthrop Aug. 

Harmony Aug. 

Pleasant  Ridge  Dec. 
Pleasant  Ridge  Dec. 

Portland Aug. 

Embden Aug. 

Portland Sept. 

Portland July 

Lewiston Aug. 


4/64. 

3/63. 
14/63. 

5/63. 
24/63. 
10/63. 
14/63. 
24/63. 
27/63. 

7/63. 


Day,  Charles  E... 21.  .Monmouth July    15/63. 


Donahue,  John  
Fairbrother,  Henry  H. 

Foley,  Lawrence  J.  .  .  . 
Frost  Nathan  P  

.28. 
.22. 

.33. 
?9 

.Skowhegan  . 
.Palmyra  

.  Pembroke  .  . 
Searsmont.  . 

...Sept.  24/63. 
,  .  .Aug.  15/63. 

.  .  .Sept.     1/63. 
.  .  .Aug.     6/63. 

Gill  John  H 

.27. 

.Chesterville. 

.  .  .Aug.   13/63. 

Hartford,  William.  .  .  . 

.38. 

.  Rome  

.  .Aug.   13/63. 

Henderson,  Joseph  B. 
Hussey,  George  H.  .  .  . 
Hurley.  Thomas  J.  .  .  . 
Joy,  William  P  

Kimball,  Frank  A.  .  .  . 
Morrill,  Stephen  D..  .  . 
Nicholas,  James  
Nobles,  Robert  

.18. 
.26. 
.21. 
.21. 

.21. 
.28. 
.37. 
.33. 

.Vassalboro.  . 
.Portland  
.Ellsworth  

.Mercer  
.  Baring  
.Vassalboro.  . 
.Hermon. 

.  .  .Dec.   23/63. 
...July    16/63. 
...Sept.  24/63. 
,  .  .Aug.  25/62. 

.  .  July   21/63. 
,  .    Aug.     9/63. 
...July    16/63. 
,  .  .Aug.  13/63. 

.Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  abs.  at  m.  o. 

.Wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Disc.  Apr.  28,  '64. 

.Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Cons.  pris.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.  Cons,  killed  Wilderness. 

.Cons.  wd.  Totopotomoy,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Cons.  wd.  Bristoe  Station,  died  Oct.,  '64. 

Annapolis,  Md. 
.Cons.  pris.  Boydton  Road,  died  Libby  Prison 

Dec.  19,  '64. 

.Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.Cons.  pris.  Wilderness,  reptd.  died  at  Anderson- 

ville  Sept.  28,  '64. 
.Cons,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 
.  Killed  Wilderness. 
.Tr.  to  co.  G. 

.Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A.,  absent  at  m.  o. 
.Died  Feb.  16,  '64. 
.Cons,  killed  Spottsylvania. 
.Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.Tr.  from  non-com,  staff,  on  det.  serv.  disch. 

Feb.  6,  '65. 

.Cons.  det.  in  regimental  hosp.  tr.   1st  H.  A. 
.Cons.  wd.  SpottsylvaRia,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.Cons.  disc.  Dec.  26,  '63. 


ROSTER 


323 


NAME 

Overlook,  Joseph  A.  . . 
Palmer,  Benjamin,  Jr. 

Phillips,  William 

Pickering,  Thomas  . .  . 
Quimby,  Alonzo  H.. . . 
Shaw,  Benjamin  P..  .  . 
Stevens,  George  E.  . . . 

Sumner,  Robert 

Smith,  William  H 

Tallman,  Charles  G.  . . 

Whalen,  Edwin 

Willey,  Loring  W 

Williams,  Albert  S...  . 


AGE    RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 
32.  .Hermon Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

20.  .New  Portland.  .Aug.     4/63.  .Cons,  died  Jan.  12,  '64. 
34.  .Solon Aug.  14/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.21.  .Portland Sept.  24/63.. Cons.  disc.  Feb.  28,  '64. 

25.  .Portland Sept.  10/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disch.  May  12.  '65. 

28.  .Eastport Aug.     9/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

,20.  .Portland Sept.    4/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

21 .  .Portland Aug.  11/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.28.  .Portland Oct.      3/64.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.22  .  .Richmond Feb.    19/64.  .Tr.  to  navy. 

,42.  .Gorham Sept.    8/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A.  absent  sick  at  m.  o. 

,32.  .Cherryfield Sept.  17/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 

.  18.  .Bowdoinham  ..Dec.   23/63.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 


SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM 


Allum,  Richard 

Allen,  IraP 

Avery,  Jeremiah  .... 
Baker,  George  H.  .. . 
Babcock,  William  . . . 
Bean,  Freeborn  G.. . . 

Biker,  George 

Carter,  John 

Callahan,  John 

Clark,  A.  J 

Colley,  James  M 

Cochran,  Tohn 

Crosby,  William 


.  40 .  .  Bangor Aug.  24/63 

.23.  .Searsport Sept.     1/63 

.26.  .Greenfield Aug.  12/63 

.36.  .New  Brunswick  Aug.  26/63 

, 20.  .Newburg Aug.  12/63 

.20.. Bethel Aug.     3/63 

.  18.  .Glenburn Sept.     1/63 

.  29 .  .  Lewiston Aug.  21/63 

.31.  .Portland Sept.     1/63 

.18.. Calais Sept.     1/63 

.  22  .  .  Belfast Dec.   23/63 

,35.  .Lewiston Aug.  31/63 

,23.  .Swanville Sept.    7/61 


Crafts,  James  C 42 ..  Paris 

Cusick,  John 18.  .Lewiston  .  .  . 

Daggett,  Stephen 21 .  .Washington. 

Dailey,  James 22.  .Portland  .  .  . 

Dickey  Almerin 20.  .Belfast 

Doten,  Charles  B 25 ..  Palermo. . .  . 

Hatch,  Sylvanus 20.  .Windsor. . .  . 

Jackson,  George  W.  . .  .  19 .  .  Belmont 

Knowlton,  George  F.  .  .26.  .Liberty 

Lincoln,  Llewellyn 18 .  .Searsmont.  . 

McManus,  Marcian  W.. 25 .  . Unity 


.  .Aug.  31/63 
..Sept.  1/63 
..Jan.  1'64. 
..Sept.  1/63 
.  .Sept.  23/61 


..Jan. 
.  .Sept. 
.  .Dec. 
..Jan. 
. .Jan. 
.  .Sept. 


1/64 
7/61 
4/63 
1/64 
1/64 
7/61 


Ordway,  Lewis 32.  .Belmont Jan.  1/64 

Sidelinger,  Manuel  ...  .29.  .Union Tan.  1/64 

Staples,  Alvah 19.  .Prospect Jan.  1/64 

Sylvester,  Sanford  B..  .20.  .Lincolnville. .  .  .Jan.  1/64 


FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT  JUNE  15,  1864 
.  .Cons.  tr.  to  Co.  G. 

,  .Cons.,  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  March  20,  '65. 
.Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st,  H.  A. 
.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.,  date  unknown. 
.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  Co.  G. 
.  .Cons.  wd.  Dec.  21/63,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  also  rotd.  deserter. 
.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Jan.  20,  '65. 
.  .  Vet.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A.,  abs.  at  m.  o. 
.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .  Pris.  Gettysburg   and    Jerusalem    Plank    Road, 

died  Andersonville  Sept.  12/64. 
.  .Cons,  disch.  May  17,  '65. 
.  .Cons,  musician,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.Vet.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .Cons.  tr.  Co.  G. 
.  .Corp.  disch.  exp.  serv. 
. .  Vet.,  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch.  exp.  serv. 
.  .  Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
. .  Vet.  Sergt.  tr.  1st  H.  A.  absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  .Vet.  wd.  Strawberry  Plains,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
. .  Sergt.  Pris.   Gettysburg    and    Jerusalem    Plank 

Road,  mustered  in  2nd  It.  to  date  July  1    '63 

disc.  July  19,  '64. 

.  .  Vet.  wd.  Deep  Bottom,  died  same  day. 
.  .Vet.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .Vet.  pr.  sergt.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

..Vet.     pris.     Gettysburg   and   Jerusalem    Plank 
Road,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY 

IN  NOVEMBER  1864 


Baldwin,  Robert 38.  .Vienna Oct. 

Dearborn,  George  H.  .  .23  .  .  Waterville Oct. 

Gerrish,  William  L 23 ..  Portland Oct. 

Sawyer,  James  A 18 .  .Waterville Oct. 

Stone,  Emery 18.  .Bristol Oct. 


5/64.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

5/64.  .Sergt.  pr.  2nd  lieut.  Co.  K. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED 


Jason  Gordon 

Elisha  W.  Ellis 

Isaac  Hills 

George  W.  Young  . 
Daniel  Bachelor 

Manter  A.  Roberts 
Augustus  A.  Cobb 
Daiius  S.  Richards 

Wilbur  M.  Clifford  . 

John  C.  Ford 

Oscar  F.  Dunton     , 


,29.  .Thorndike.  , 
.21..  Monroe .... 
.18.  .Northport. . 
. 27 .  .Lincolnville 
.  29 .  .  Palermo  . 

.23.  .Brooks 

.21..  Montville .  . 
.26.  .Lincolnville 


.19.  .Palermo. . . 

,26.  .Monroe 

,20.  .Liberty.... 


COMPANY    B. 

AND  JOINED  THE  COMPANY  AT  ITS  OEGANIZATION, 
SERGEANTS 

Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  2d.  lieut.  and  1st.  lieut. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  1st.  lieut.  wd.  Gettysburg. 
..  .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Dec.  3,  '63. 
.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  own  request,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  19,  '63. 
. . .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  ambulance  corps,  m.  o. 
CORPORALS 

Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  17,  '63. 

Aug.  25/62..Tr.  to  4,  U.  S.  arty. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.     1st.    sergt.    wd.   Wilderness    and    Reams' 

Station,  disch.  May  18/65  .  ,.vi,  „ 

Aug.  25/62..  Red.,  died,  Jan.  9,  '64. 

Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  27,  '62. 

Aug.  25/62..  Died  Dec.  7,  '62.3 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME 

Willard  R.  Hardy 
Edwin  A.  Howes 

George  Cony 

Edward  L.  Mitchell 


REMARKS 


John  A.  Porter 40.  .Lincolnville. 


At  wood,  Levi  F. 
Bagley,  David  G. 


AGE    RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO 
U.  S.  SERVICE 

.21.  .Searsmont Aug.  25, '62.  .Red.  wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 

.23.. Liberty Aug.  25,'62..Pr.  sergt.  killed.Gettysburg. 

MUSICIANS 

Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Aug.  28,  '63. 
Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

WAGONER 

Aug.  25, '62.  .On  det.  duty,  m.  o. 
PRIVATES 

.26.  .Liberty Aug.  25/62.  .  Reptd.  sick  in  hosp.  during  term  of  serv. 

,19.  .Liberty Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.,  killed,  Wilderness 


.Monroe. . . 
.Liberty. .. 


Bachelder,  John  Jr.     .  .21  .  .Monroe Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  tr.  V.  R.  C.,  Aug.  3,  '63. 

Batchelor,  James 43.  .Montville Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Ft.  Wagner,  D.  C.,  Aug.  30,  '62 

Belden,  Charles    18.  .Palermo Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  17,  '63. 

Bennett,  Ira  Z 32.  .Montville Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 


Boynton,  Elbridge  M.    22  ..  Liberty 

Bradstreet,  William  R.  33  .  .  Palermo. .  .  . 
Briggs,  William 30 ..  Monroe 


Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  April  4,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Det.  in  ambulance  corps,  disch.  June  6,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  red.  tr.  to  navy  Apr. 
16,  '64. 

Bullen,  Hugh  A 18.  .Montville Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  died  Nov    18    '64 

Buzzell,  Elijah  K 27  .  .Monroe Aug.  25/62. .  Mortally  wd.  Willderness,  died  May  28,  '64. 

Chapman,  George  F 18.  .Liberty Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Jan.  2,  '64. 

j-^1 t-  '11        TIT TT  *%^  TUT .*._     '11_  A.-._         /I   r     *  S  *\  tTT  J        T*       f  ••     **        •*  r       « 


Churchill,  Wm.  H. 

Cilley,  Lorenzo  D 

Clark,  Isaac  C 

Coffin,  Frank 

Crockett,  Wilbur 


22.  .Montville Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Totopotomoy,  disc.  Mch.  1, 


,28. 

.18. 
.18. 


.Brooks Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 


Crummett,  Orson  E 18 ..  Northport 

Cross,  Israel  H 18.  .Lincolnville 


.Lincolnville. .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  10,  '63'. 

.Thorndike Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.,  Gettysburg,  died  July  14,  '63. 

18.  .Lincolnville.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  died  June  23,  '64. 
Crocker,  Benjamin  S..  .24.  .Lincolnville. ..  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.     sergt.    wd.    Gettsburg    and    Totopotomoy. 

disch.  Apr.  29,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Gettysburg  and    Spottyslvania,  died  June 

9,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Bristoe  Station,  disc.  Nov.  9,  '64. 

Crosby,  George  A 18.  .Northport    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  in  Washington,  Nov.  5,  '62. 

Cross,  George  E 20.  .So.  Thomaston.  Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  23,  '62. 

Curtis,  Watson 38.  .Monroe Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Mch.  15,  '64. 

Curtis,  William  H.     .  .  .21 .  .Monroe Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 

Dean,  Silas 23.  .Lincolnville. .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  North  Anna. 

Dean,  John  H 34.  .Palermo Aug.  2  5/62..  Disc.  May  20,  '63. 

Dunton,  Hosea  B 19.  .Liberty Aug.  25/62.  .Killed  .Wilderness. 

Eastman,  William  H.. .  18.  .Liberty Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Oct.  5,  '62. 

Ellis,  Alvin  H 18.  .Monroe Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.,  Aug.  6/64 

Flagg,  Job  P 18.  .Monroe Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.    Gettysburg,    died    of    wds.    York,    Pa. 

Dec.  2nd.,  '63. 

Gray,  James  C 22.  .Monroe Aug.  25/62.  .On.  det.  duty,  m.  o. 

Gregory,  Alonzo  V 26.  .Montville Aug.  25/62.  .  Pris.  Reams'  Station,  no     further  record. 

Hall,  John  Jr 18.  .Brooks Aug.  25/62..  Died  Jan.  19,  '63. 

*Harmon,  Martin 22.  .Montville Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 

Hannon,  Horace  I.  ...  18.  .Liberty Aug.  25/62  .  .Det.  as  provost  guard,  m.  o. 

Haskell,  Christopher  C.31.  .Searsmont Aug.   25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  7,    63 

.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  23,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  17,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  14,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.,  Jan.  15,  '64. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Died  Dec.  27,  '62. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Spottsylvania. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .On  det.  duty,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  2,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Apr.  26,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  pris.  No.  Anna,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  blacksmith,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Died  Feb.  10,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

„, -Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

Noyes,  Eli 31.  .Palermo Aug.  25/62.  .  Miss'g  at  Gettysburg,  fate  unknown. 

Nutter,  Richard  A 41 .  .Palermo Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Dec.  4,  "62. 

.Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  17,  63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Spottyslvania,  m.  o. 


Harriman,  Woodb'ry  S.I  8    .  Montville 
Heal,  Isaiah  ..........  27.  .Lincolnville. 

Heal,  Morrison  R  ......  22.  .Searsmont.  . 

Henderson,  Irad  M.     .  .21  .  .Nova  Scotia 
Hustus,  Hiram  A  ......  24.  .Monroe  ..... 

Hubbard  ,  William  .....  25..  Palermo 

Kenniston,  Wesley    ...18..  Liberty  ..... 

Knowles,  Andrew  J..  .  .33.  .Thorndike.  . 

Knowlton,  Joshua  T.    .19.  .Monroe  ..... 

Lamb,  Nathan  ........  44.  .Searsmont.  . 

Lane,  John  P  ........  18.  .Thorndike.  . 

Larrabee,  Moses  Jr.     .  .  18  .  .  Monroe  ..... 

Mayo,  George  M  .......  25.  .Monroe 

McDonald,  Andrew  R 


Monroe,  Joseph  R.  . 
Monroe,  Thomas  F.  . 
Moody,  Augustus  R.. 
Morang,  George  E. 


20.  .Winterport 
..19..  Thorndike.. 
.  .23.  .Thorndike.  . 
.  .  19.  .Lincolnville. 

18.  .Lincolnville. 


18..  Thorndike .  . 


Parsons,  Henry 

Parsons,  Joseph  B.    .  .  .30.  .Montville. .  . 

Patterson,  Washington  26 ..  Monroe 

*Also  written  Hanan  and  Hannon. 

Rand,  Marshall  H.    .  .  .43.  .Monroe Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr  V.  R.  C. 


ROSTER 


325 


NAMB 

Richards,  Mayberry    .  .20.  .  Lincolnville 

Roberts,  Eli 21..  Brooks. .  .  . 

Roberts,  Oscar  E 19.  . Brooks. .  .  . 

Robertson,  Samuel  N.    37 ..  Monroe 


Rowell,  Elbridge  W....32. 
Sanford,  Benjamin  O.  .18. 

Staples,  William  L 19. 

Strattard,  John    31 . 

Tenney,  Leonard 36. 

Turner,  Abial 32. 

Ware,  Jason 25. 

Ware,  Jabez  G 18. 

Ward,  Benjamin  F.  .  .  .26. 

Watts,  Daniel  F 24. 

Wentworrh,  Fr'klin  M..18. 
Wellington,  John  M....32. 
Whitney,  Hezekiah. .  .  .26. 

Whitney,  Mark  L 18. 

Wilson,  ErastusT.    .  .  .22. 

Witham,  John  Jr 28. 

Young,  Thomas  J 29 . 


AGE    RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 
..Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 
..Aug.  25, '62..  Disc.  Dec.  31, '62. 
.  .Aug.  25, '62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  May  24.  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25, '62. .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness  and  Strawberry  Plains 
disch.June  19/65. 

Wd.  died  in  reg'tl.  hosp.  March  3,  '63. 
Wd.  Wilderness,  absent  at  m.  o. 


.Montville. .  . 
.Montville..  . 

.  Monroe 

.  Monroe 

.  Northport  . 
.Palermo. .  .  . 
.  Northport  . 
.  Northport  . 
.Thorndike.  . 
.  Montville . .  . 
.  Searsmont .  . 
.Montville. .  . 
.Lincolnville. 
.  Lincolnville . 
.Searsmont.  . 
.Palermo. .  .  . 
.Lincolnville. 


..Aug.  25/62 
.  .Aug.  25/62 
..Aug.  25/62 


Died  Apr.  5,  '63. 
Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  17,  '63. 


.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Dec.  28,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  absent  at  m.o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Feb.  27,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  15,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Spottyslvania,  m.  o. 

..Aug.  25/62..  Died  May  2,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  28,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  30,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Aug.  1,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  absent  at  m.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  m.  o. 

..Aug.   25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  26,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  U.  S.  navy  Feb.  15,  '64. 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 


Batchelder,  Edgar  S.  .23. 
Brown,  Jeremiah  Jr.. .  .  19. 
Chandler,  Charles  A....  25. 

Clark,  George  M 

Collins,  William 28. 

Dillman,  Joseph 30. 

Dore,  Henry  A 28. 

Dwinell,  George  W 19. 

Frizzell,  Henry  G 18. 

French,  Charles  F 18. 

Getchell.  Elisha  B.    ...29. 

Gross,  Charles    18. 

Hall,  Adoniram 24. 

Hatch,  Benjamin  C.  ..30. 
Hannon,  William  A..  .  .  19  . 

Hewett,  Isaac  S 18 . 

Henderson,  Irad  M.  .  .  .23. 
Hinkley,  Calvin  B.  ...26. 

Howe,  William  P 30. 

Hutchinson,  James  H.   20. 

Jordan,  Joseph 25  . 

Jewell,  Charles  F 26. 

King,  David 22. 

Knowlton,  Thomas.  .  .  .40. 
Lemare,  Narcisse 20. 


Marr,  John 20. 

Marston,  Charles  L.  ...  18 . 
Murphy,  Jeremiah  ...  .42  . 
Montine,  Charles  ...  .30. 

Page,  Oscar  E 18. 

Perkins,  Frank 21. 

Prescott,  Charles  H 21. 

Rice,  John    20 . 


Rose,  Sylvanus  C..  . 
Russell,  Jason  C..  .  . 
Sanborn,  Edwin  O.. 
Shaw,  Walter  B..., 


Small,  Jeremiah 

Smith,  William  T 

Smith,  Edwin 

Small,  William  H.  H. 
Staples,  Albert 


.  Garland 

.Cornville.  .  .  . 
.  Winthrop 

.Bangor 

.  Portland  .  .  .  . 
.  Portland  .  . .  . 
.  Harmony 

.  Portland 

.Augusta 

.Augusta 

.Augusta 

.Augusta 

.  Damariscotta 
.Lewiston    .  .  .  . 

.  Liberty 

.Madison 

.  Lincolnville .  .  . 
.Norridgewock. 

.  Dixmont 

.  Lewiston 

.Webster 

.  Dixmont 

.Bangor 

.Swanville  .  .  . 
.Lewiston  .  .  .  . 

.  Portland 

.Augusta 

.  Portland  .  .  .  . 
.  Portland 

.Camden 

.Athens 

.  Newburg 

.Damariscotta 


.  Bradley    .... 

.  Bangor 

.  Monroe 

.  Vassalboro  .  . 

.Swanville  .  .  . 
.  Hampden  .  .  . 
.  Newburg .... 
.Lewiston.  .  .  . 
.  Newburg .... 


.Aug.  15/63.. Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.  15/63.. Cons.  disc.  Dec.  11,  '63. 

.July,  18/63..  Cons,  died  July  2/64  of  wds.  rec'd,  at  Jerusalem 

Plank  Road. 

.May    16/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Aug.  17/63.. Cons.  disc.  Jan.  11,  '64. 
.Sept.  21/63.  .Cons.  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  16,  '64. 
.Aug.  11/63.  .Cons,  taken  pris.  on  march  to  Auburn,  Va.  Oct. 
13,  died  Annapolis,  Md.  Nov.  25,  '63. 

14/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Totopotomoy,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

22/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  May  1,  '64. 

18/63.  .Cons.  wd.    Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

16/63.  .Cons.  tr.  U.  S.  navy  Feb.  15,  '64. 

16/63.  .Cons.  det.  as  mus.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

18/63.. Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

16/63.. Cons.  disc.  Jan.  30,  '64. 

18/64.. Wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
6/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
1/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Mine  Run,  m.  o. 

21/63.. Cons.  pr.  sergt.  2d.  lieut.  1st.  lieut.  capt. 

13/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
3/63.. Wd.  Petersburg,  disc.  Dec.  23,  '64. 

19/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A.  Nov.  2,  '64. 

13/63.  .Cons.    wd.    Wilderness,    pris.    Hatcher's    Run, 

disch.  June  16,  '65. 

.Sept.  22/63.  .Cons,  disch.  May  22,  '65. 
.Feb.    13/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Aug.  17/63.. Cons.   des.   Sept.   9,    '63,   arrested,  sentenced  to 

Dry  Tortugas.  disc.  Jan.  13,  '66. 
"Aug.     7/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.Mch.     5/64.  .Mus.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Aug.  17/63.. Cons.  disc.  Dec.  14,  '63. 
July   30/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Feb.    16/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
July   20/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  11,  '65. 
.Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Totopotomoy,  died  May  17,  '65. 
,Aug.  13/63.  .Cons,  died  Aug.  8.  '64,  at  Augusta,  Me.,  of  wds. 

received  at  Cold  Harbor. 
.Aug.  13/63.  .Cons,  disch.  June  8,  '65. 
.Aug.  15/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Dec.    11/63.  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
July   16/63.. Cons.   pr.  corp.  wd.  Spottslyvania,  disc.  Mch. 

24,  '65. 

.Feb.    13/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  16,  '64. 
.Aug.   13/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Mch.  6.  '65. 
July    15/63.  .Cons.  corp.  wd.  Bristoe  Station,  tr.  1st.  H  A. 
.Aug.  13/63.. Cons,  died  Stevensburg,  Va.  Dec.  22,  '63. 


.Aug. 
July 
July 
July 

•  July 
July 
July 
Jan. 
.Oct. 
.Sept. 
July 
.Aug. 
.Dec. 
.Sept. 

•  Aug. 


326 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME  AGE    RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

Stowell,  Asa  V 30.  .Mt.  Vernon.  .  .  .Aug.     8, '63.  .Cons.  disc.  Apr.  IS,  '64. 

Thomas,  Rufus  C 18.  .Camden Feb.    16,'65..Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Waltz,  Loran 26.  .Nobleboro July    18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Wood,  Franklin  A.    ...22.  .Belfast Aug.     6, '63.  .Cons,  killed,  Bristoe  Station  Oct.  14,  '63. 

Wood,  William  H.    .  .  .30.  .Belfast Aug.    6/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT  JUNE  15,  1864. 


Call,  Benjamin  F.    .    .  .22  .  .  Bangor  .  . 

Carver,  Edwin  W 27  ..  Rockland 

Chase,  William  P 19 ..  Lincoln  .  . 

Chase,  Edward  L 33 ..  Portland 

Clay,  Abijah  N 36.  .Bangor  .  .  , 

Dana,  Daniel      21 .  .Lewiston    , 

Dexter,  Judson  W.    ...  19.  .Corinth 


.  .Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.  18/62. . Wd.  Fredericksburg,  absent  at  m.  o. 

.  .Aug.     8/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  30,  '64. 

..Dec.   30/63..  Died  of  wds.  July  16,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  24/63.  .Cons,  killed  Reams'  Station  Aug.  25,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  26/63.  .Cons,  died  Nov.  3,  '64,  buried  at  City  Point,  Va  . 

. ...    . Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A  , 

Drake,  George    19.  .  Bangor Sept.     1/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Mch.  20,  '65. 

Elden,  John    18.  .Bradford    Aug.  29/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Estes,  David 28.  .Orono Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Fields,  George  W 23.  .Amherst Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Feb.  28,  '65. 

Forbes,  Freeman  A.    ...  19.  .Belfast Nov.  18/63. .  Wd.  disch.  May  20,  '65. 

.Jan.      1/64.  . Color- sergt.  pr.  2d.  lieut.  Co.  B.  m.  o. 

2/64.  .  Pris.  Reams'  Station,  no  further  record. 
4/63.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

1/64.  .Vet.  sergt.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 
4/63.. Wd.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

7/63. .  Des.  May  4,  '64,  never  joined  company. 
1/64.  .Vet.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
3/61. .  Wd   Wilderness,  disch.  exp.  of  serv. 
2/63.. Wd.  disc.  Oct.  5,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Mch.  20,  '65. 
.  .Sept. 19/61.  .Wd.  Manassas  pris.,  Gettysburg,  died  Anderson- 


Gray,  Clarendon  W.    ...  18.  .Stockton    .  , 

Glover,  Navard 44.  .Brooks.  . . . 

Heal,  Thomas  J 18 ..  Belfast 

Hopkins,  Charles  W 24 ..  Jefferson    . 

Jackson,  John  A 21.  .Belfast.  .  .  . 

Metcalf,  Fred  H 21..  Lincolnville. .    

Norris,  Daniel  C 27.  .Rockland Jan. 

Philbrpok,  Levi  A 22.  .Augusta Sept. 


.Jan. 
.Dec. 
Jan. 
.Dec. 
.Dec. 


Rich,  Israel  T 44.  Jackson    .  . 

Robinson,  Ezbelon 27  ..  Bangor 

Snowdeal,  Thomas  E.  .  .21.  .Thomaston 


.Dec. 


Sylvester,  William  F..  .  .25.  .Casco    

Thomas,  Winslow  W..  .  .21 .  .Rockland. . . 
Taylor,  George  F 29.. Gardiner    .. 


Turner,  Charles  A. 
Ulmer,  Alonzo  N. 


ville  June  10,  '64. 

.Dec.   30/63.  .Pris.  Wilderness,  never  joined  company. 
.Aug.  25/62. .  Abs.  sick,  never  joined  company. 
Jan.      1/64. .  Vet.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  never  joined 

company. 
.  .21.  .North  Haven    .Aug.  15/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  never  joined  company. 

.Aug.  27/61.. Wd.  Gettysburg,  disch.  Sept.  2,  '64,  term  exp. 


..  .21.  .Rockland 


Wellman,  Charles  F 18.  .Brooks Dec.     4/63.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY  IN 

NOVEMBER  1864. 


Barnise,  Thomas 37.  .Skowhegan    .  .  .Oct. 

Casey,  Thomas 22.  .Whitefield Oct. 

Chapman,  Alvin  L 43  ..  Starks Oct. 

Dunn,  James    25 ..  Whitefield Oct. 

Hewitt,  Isaac  S 18.  .Madispn Oct. 

Maxmilian,  Jacob 24.  .Limerick    Oct. 

Morey,  Vetal 23  ..  Anson Oct. 

Potter,  Thomas  A 20.  .Clinton Oct. 

Thomas,  Albert 18 ..  Limerick    Oct. 

Wescott,  Joseph  D 27.  .Athens Oct. 

Whittier,  Nathaniel  B.  19.  .Madison Oct. 

Wescott,  Willis    18 ..  Embden Oct. 


5/64.  .Wd.  Nov.  14,  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64. .  Wd.  Boydton  Road,  disc,  July  4,  '65. 

5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.  .  Wd.  Oct.  8,  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


COMPANY  C. 
SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED  AND  JOINED  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION 


Albion  Whitten 35.  .Troy 

George  Dunbar 24 ..  Fairfield . . 

Francis  H.  Foss 25.  .Fairfield. . 

Henry  W.  Nye 20.  .Fairfield. . 

Eugene  A.  Boulter  ...  .24.  .Unity. .  .  . 

Lyman  B.  Kimball.  .  .  .23.  .Clinton. . . 
William  H.  Emery 22  ..  Fairfield. . 

George  H.  Huntress  . .  .21.  .Shapleigh. 
Gersham  F.  Tarbell  .  .  .20.  .Benton. . . 
Lindley  H.  Whittaker  .21.  .Troy 


SERGEANTS 

Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  2d  and  1st  lieut. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  1st  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg,  red.  disc.  Feb.,  6 

'65. 

,  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  2d  lieut.  wd.  Gettysburg. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Spottsylvania,  pr.  2d  lieut. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  1st  ssrgt.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  disc.  Feb.  2,  '65 

CORPORALS 

...Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  at  own  request,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness,  pr.  2d 

and  1st  lieut. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  near  Warrenton,  typhoid  fever  July  26,  '63. 
..  .Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness,  disch 
June  16,  '65. 


ROSTER 


327 


SR  --"    NAME 

Edward  F.  Tukey  
George  M.  Cotton  
George  A.  Osborn  

Hollis  S   Spearing    .  .  . 

Ac 

.21. 
.20. 
.20. 

26 

E    RESIDENCE 

.  Fairfieli  
.Fairfield  
.Fairfield  

.Benton  
.  Bowdoinham 

.  Bowdoin  
Bowdoin 

MUSTERED  INTO                    REMARKS 
U.  S.  SERVICE 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Nov.  24,  '62. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
MUSICIANS 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  May  17,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Reptd.  as  des.  Nov.  15,  '62. 

PRIVATES 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  20,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  corp,  died  Feb.  14/65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  21,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  March  6,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 
Aug    25  'rt2     Disc.  Mch.  12.  '63. 

Cross,  Francis  W  
Adams   John  B    .... 

.32. 

97 

32 

Allen   Alfred  F    

18 

.Fairfield  
.  Troy       .    ... 

Bagley   Sewell  H 

20 

Bennett,  Jason  
Bickmore    Mayo 

.42. 
18 

.Unity  
.Troy  
Troy           .    . 

Bowley,  Chester  
Blethen,  James  L  
Brann,  Merrill  
Burrell,  Franklin  
Buzzell,  Benjamin  F. 
Call,  Frederick  S  
Chisam,  Theodore.  .  .  . 
Choate,  Albert  
Clough    Harrison  T 

.26. 
.18. 
.18. 
.22. 
.27. 
.20. 
.25. 
.28. 
21 

.Unity  
.Whitefield... 
.Fairfield  
.  Benton  
.  Richmond  .  .  . 
.Unity  
.Unity  
St   Albans  .  . 

.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  -Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .  Aug. 
Aug 

25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25,  62 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25  '62 

.  Wd.  Gettysburg  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Mch.  12,  '64. 
.In  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.Det.  in  ambulance  corps,  m.  o. 
.Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  Aug.  25,  '63. 
.Sick  in  hosp.  at  rn.  o. 
.Det.  in  arty,  brigade  disch.  June  21,  '65. 
.Wd.  Wilderness  pr.  corn,  m.  o. 
.Wd.  Gettvsburg,  died  July  8,  '63. 
.Died  in  Washington  Oct.  9,  '62. 
.Disc.  Nov.  18,  '62. 
.Pr.  hosp.  steward. 
.Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.Disc.  Apr.  24/63. 
.Det.  as  div.  pioneer,  m.  o. 
.  Pr.  corp.,  killed,  Gettvsburg. 
.Tr.  V.  R.C.July  27,  '63. 
.Det.  in  ambulance  corps,  disch.  June  6,  '65. 
.Died  Dec.  27,  '62. 
.Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Dec.  26,  '63. 
.Correct  name  EliasChilds,  des.  June  29,  '63. 
.Disc.  Aug.  6,  '63. 
.Det.  in  arty,  brig.,  m.  o. 
.  Det.  in  arty,  brig.,  disc.  Mch.  27,  '65.                      , 
.Pr.  sergt.  ,'wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 
.Disc.  Jan.  1,  '63. 
.Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Oct.  1,  '63. 
Brig   saddler   m    o. 

Crosbv,  Abijah  
Crowell,  Charles  H...  . 
Daggett,  Alanson  W. 
Dodge,  Charles  H  

.37. 
.29. 
.44. 
.24. 
.18. 
.44. 
.23. 
.39. 
.19. 
.21. 
.19. 
.20. 
.24. 
.21. 
-.24. 
.20. 
.30. 
.21. 
.  22. 
S5 

.  Benton  
.  Winslow  
.Starks  
.  Freedom  
Fairfield 

Emery,  Samuel  
Emerson,  James  D..  .  . 
Erskine,  Christopher.  . 
Fogg,  Eben  S  
Garcelon,  Edwin  
Gerrish,  Increase  B.  .  . 
Gilman,  Lorenzo  D..  .  . 
Giles,  Eli  
Glidden,  Franklin  W.  . 
Goodwin,  Charles  C.  Ji 
Goodwin,  Henry  C..  .  . 
Gray,  Russell  B  
Green,  James  R  
Greenleaf  Benjamin  W 
Hall    John  S 

.  Fairfield  
.Madison  
.Whitefield.  .. 
.Fairfield  
.Troy  

.  Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .  Aug 

.Troy  
.Unity  
.Unity  
.Whitefield... 
.Dresden  
.Dresden  

.  .Aug. 
•  -Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .  Aug. 

.Fairfield  
.  Richmond  .  .  . 
.Starks  
Fairfield 

.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
Aug 

Harrington,  Myron  C. 
Haskell,  Joseph  E  
Hodgdon,  George  E..  . 
Jones,  Charles  W  
Lewis,  Jonathan  
Lewis,  William  E  
Lewis,  Milford  T  
Libby,  Nathaniel  P.  .  . 
Lord,  Alexander  W.  .  . 
Maxim,  Sullivan  A..  .  . 
Mayo,  Oscar  F  
Merrick,  James  L  
McDonald,  Charles  H. 
Mclntire,  Ezra  F  
McManners,  Daniel  A. 
Morrill,  William  H.... 
Nichols,  Alphonzo.  .  .  . 
Oliver,  James  M  
Palmer,  Silas  

.18. 
.18. 
.35. 
.21. 
.28. 
.19. 
.25. 
.20. 
.35. 
.21. 
.21. 
.18. 
.33. 
25. 
27. 
.28. 
.21. 
.38. 
28 

.China  
.  Fairfield  
.Troy  
.Thorndike.  .  . 
.Clinton  
.Fairfield  
Fairfield 

.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .  Aug. 

25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25'62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 
25/62. 

.Died  Bolivar,  Va.,  Oct.  12,  '62. 
.  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Jan.  15,  '64. 
.  Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  Aug.  24,  '63. 
.  Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 
.  Wd.  Gettysburg,  reptd.  a  des.  at  rn.  o. 
.  Det.  as  teamster,  m.  o. 
.Des.  July  15,  '63. 
.M.  o. 
.Pr.  sergt.,  killed,  Gettysburg. 
.  Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.Disc.  Jan.  20,  '63. 
.M.  o. 
.Pr.   corp.  wd.  Cold  Harbor,  disch.  June    12,  '65. 
.Disc.  Mch.  15.  '63. 
.  Det.  as  teamster  with  q.  m.  disch.  June  12,  '65. 
.  Pr.  1st  sergt.,  wd.  Cold  Harbor,  m.  o. 
.Tr.  V.  R.C.Dec.  10,  '63. 
.Died  Feb.  10,  '63. 
.  Det.  in  arty.  brig.  m.  o. 
.Det.  in  Arty,  brig.,   pris.   Spottsylvania,   disch. 

.Unity  
.  Fairfield  
.St.  Albans.  .  . 
Fairfield 

.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 

.Troy.  
Madison 

.  .Aug. 

.Fairfield  
.  Unity 

.  .Aug. 
Aug 

.Benton  
.  Fairfield  
.Fairfield  
.Unity  
.Unity  
.Clinton.  '.  .  .  .  . 

.Whitefield... 
.  Fairfield 

•  -Aug. 
•  -Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .  Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 

Phinney,  Thomas  F..  . 
Pierce,  John  G  

Plummer,  Myrick  
Pratt,  Elbridge  P  
Pulsifer,  Henry  H  
Reed,  Thomas  
Reynolds,  Josiah  K..  . 
Rhoades,  Reuben  
Sanborn,  Daniel  

.20. 
.24. 

.21. 
.21. 
21. 
.35. 
.34. 
.20. 
11 

.  .  Aug. 

25, 
25. 
25. 
25. 
25. 
25. 
25. 
25, 
25, 

•(.2. 
'62. 
'62. 
'02. 
'(.2. 
'62 
'(-2. 
'62. 
'02. 

June  12,  '65. 
.M.  o. 
.Killed,  Gettysburg. 
.Disc.  Jan.  4,  '63. 
.M.  o. 
.Sick  in  hosp.  disch.  June  21,  '65. 
.  Abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  Abs.  sick  at  m.    o. 
.Disc.  July  24,  '63. 
.  Wd.  Gettysburg,  amputation  of  foot,  disc. 
Feb.  8,  '65. 

.  New  Sharon  . 
.Richmond.  .  . 
.  Unity  
.  Troy  
.Fairfield  
.Troy  
.Troy  

.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Aug. 
.  -Aug. 

Sawyer,  Byron  P  
Shaw,  Johnson  

19. 
.28. 

328 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME 

Sinclair,  David 

Snell,  Cyrus  F 

Spaulding,  John 

Spaulding,  William.. 
Thompson,  Gustavus 
Tibbetts.  George  W.. 
Usher,  Orrin  S.. . 
Webb.  Reuben  R..  .  . 
Whitten,  Richard  .  . . 
Whitten,  Randall  K.. 

Whitten,  Darius 

Woodman,  Alfred  . . . 
Woodward,  Joseph  G 


AGE    RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

..33.  .Fairfield Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .  18.  .Madison Aug.  25, '62.  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  died  of  wds.  Junel2/64 

.  .41.  .Benton .Aug.  25,'62..Tr.  V.  R.  C.  May  27,  '64. 

.  .42.  .Benton Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 

L.  21.  Fairfield Aug.  2 5, '62.  .  Pr.  corp.  killed,  Gettysburg. 

.  .30.  .Unity Aug.  25/62.  .  Det.  in  arty.  brig.  m.  o. 

.  .  18.  .Albion Aug.  25/62.  .Sick  in  hosp.  disch.  May  31,  '65. 

.  .30.  .Unity Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 

.  .27.  .Unity Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  disc.  Jan.  2,  '65. 

.  32  .  .Unity Aug.  25/62.  .  Det.  in  arty.  brig.  m.  o. 

.  .36.  .Unity Aug.  25/62.. Disc.  Apr.  9,  '63. 

.  .21.  .Troy Aug.  25/62.  .Sick  in  hosp.  disch.  May  29,  '65. 

..23..  Troy Aug.  25/62. .  Killed,  Gettysburg. 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WrlO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 


Arno,  James  G 27..  Detroit.    .. 

Barnes,  John  W 22 ..  Dedhani .  . . 

Bartlett,  America  F 22.  .  Forest ville. 

Bessey,  Oliver  B 21..  Fairfield . . . 

Bennett,  Amos 44.  .Mont ville. 


.  .Aug.   17/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.   18/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.  .Sept.  21/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Jan.  22,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.  wd.  North  Anna,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

..Dec.      8/63.  .Disc.  Jan.  11, '65. 

Blaisdell,  Thomas  B.  ..29.  .Milo Aug.  21/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disch.  June  8,  '65. 

Chase,  Cyrus 26.  .Westfield Aug.     5/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Chamberlain,  Orrin  W.  33.  .Fairfield Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Feb.  8,  '65 

Cleaveland,  Moses  S.  .  .23.  .Fairfield Aug.   17/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Jan.  20,  '64. 

.  .Aug.   18/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.     1/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  11,  '64. 

..Sept.    2/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.  .Mch.     4/6 5.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 


Cochran,  Riley 25..  Fairfield 

Cunningham,  Warren.  .20.  .Wiscasset. . 
Cunningham  David  E. .  2 1 .  .  Bradford  . . , 
Decker,  Hiram  S 21..  Belfast. 


Delmage,  John  J 27.  .Lewiston Aug.  10/63.  .Cons.  des.  Nov.  26,  '63. 

Downs,  Calvin  G 33.  .Detroit Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Downs,  George  S 21.  .Augusta June     5/64.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Flanders,  James  H 31 .  .Garland Sept.     1/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  died  Nov.  27,  '64. 

"-— —  «  ™      o-'-e-u  .  .Aug.   18/63.. Cons,  disch.  June  7, '65. 

..Feb.   27/64..  Died,  June  17,  '64. 


Foster,  William  W 29.  .Fairfield 

Ford.  George  H 21.  .Montville. 


Frillon,  Richard  D 21.  .  Bridgewater  .  .  .Sept.     1/63..  Cons,  died  Nov.  24,  '63. 


.Aug.  18/63..  Cons.  wd.Jerusalem  Plank  Rd.,  died  July  27/64. 

.Dec.      9/63.  .Disch.  Apr.  26, '64. 

.Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottyslvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Sept.  21/63.  .Cons.    pr.    corp.  wd.  Spottsylvonia,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Oct.  7,  '64. 

,  .Aug.  19/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.Aug.   10/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 
.Aug.     7/63.  .Sub.  disch.  Apr.  26,  '64. 
.Mch.  2 1/64..  Disch.  June  8, '65. 
.Aug.   18/63.  .Cons,  died  Jan.  12,  '64. 

Manter,  Charles 21 .  .  Anson Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Merrill,  William  L 21.  .Bath Aug.  13/63.  .Des.  Aug.  19,  '63,  never  joined  co. 

Norton,  Edwin  M 18.  .Waltham Sept.    4/63.  .Cons,  disch.  June  9,  '65. 

.25.  .Belfast Aug.     6/63..  Cons,  mortally  wd.  Cold  Harbor,  died 

June  4,  '64. 

.Aug.     5/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 
.Aug.  18/63..  Cons.  wd.  Wilderness.tr.    1st  H.  A. 
.Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 


Gray,  Albert  J 18..  Fairfield . . 

Hatch,  George  M 18.  .Lewiston 

Hoxie,  Nathan  D 24.  .Detroit 

Huse,  Reuben  A 32  .  .Mapleton.  .  . 

Judkins,  Henry 32  ..  Athens 

Keen,  Alfred 23.  .Canaan 

Knights,  Alfred  W.   ...  19  .  .Gardiner. . . . 

Lamphen,  Alfred 18.  .Portland 

Lawrence,  Hiram 31.  .  Fairfield .... 


Plummer,  Aaron  C. 


Plummer,  Asa 22.  .Augusta. .  . 

Ramsdell,  Seth  W 20 ..  Porter 


Richardson,  Rufus  ....  20 ..  Lewiston  . . 

Richardson,  Martin 18.  .Lewiston Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Rowe,  Charles  A 20.  .  Eddington Sept.  23/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C. 


Sargent,  Orrin. . . 


18.  .Montville Feb.   27/64.  .Killed,  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 


Shepherd,  Richard  A.  .21.  .Waterville Aug.  15/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Wilderness. 


Sullivan,  James  G. 
St.  Clair,  Don  Carlos. 
Titus,  Olney  W 


,26.  .Anson Aug. 

24.  .Brewer Aug. 

.26.  .Dexter Aug. 


3/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Dec.  17,  '63. 


7/63, 
7/63. 


Welch,  Sullivan  M 18.  .Clinton Aug.  10/63. 


White,  William  W.. 
Wilcox.  William  J.  . . 
Williams,  Francis  L.. 


,22..Bangor Aug.     6/63. 


.Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Cons.  wd.  Cold  Harbor,  died  from  wds. 

June  19,  '64. 
Missing  Bristoe  Station,  never  heard  from, 

reptd.  des. 
, Cons.  abs.  sick,  disch.  June  15,  '65. 


.31 .  .Mapleton Aug.     6/63.  .Cons,  disch.  June  15/65. 

.28.  .Madison Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  abs.  sick,  disch  June  7,  '65. 

Williams,  Charles  S.    .  .31.  .Norridgewock.  .Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  disc.  July  14,  '64. 

Woodbury,  Edward  C..24.  .Belfast Mch.     1/65.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

York,  Ephraim  A 25.  .Fairfield Aug.  18/63.. Cons,  died  Dec.  4,  '63. 

SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT  JUNE  15,  1364. 

Ames,  William  H 27.  .Plymouth Dec.   23/63.  .Vet.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Brown,  James  H 24.  .Belfast Aug.  21/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Bruce,  Samuel  T 27.  .Montville Aug.  20/63.. Sub.  wd.  Cold  Harbor,  June  5.  tr.  1st  H.A. 


ROSTER 


329 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.  Feb.   19, '62 . .  Pr.  and  det.  as  color  sergt.,  killed  Jerusalem 
Plank  Road. 

.Mch.  14,'64..Pr.  2d.  lieut.  Co.  I. 

Mch.  14/64.  .Vet.  pris.  Gettysburg,  wd.  Ft.  Haskell.  Nov.2<J, 
'64,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Sept.  10,'61..Disch.  Sept.  19,  '64,  term  exp. 
.  .Aug.  21/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  21/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Dec.   31/63.  .  Wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Sept.     1/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Cold  Harbor  June  5. 
..Dec.     3/63.  .Died  June.  10, '65. 

.Aug.  10/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Totopotomoy,  tr.  1st  H,  A. 

.Sept.     1/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  20/63..  Cons.  tr.  to  Co.  E. 

.Aug.     9/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  24/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  died  Oct.  4,  '64. 

.Aug.  29/63.  .Cons,  died  Oct.  4,  '64. 

.Aug.  28/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Sept.  10/63.  .Cons,  reptd.  pris.  at  m.  o. 

.Aug.  29/63.  .Cons,  died  June  17,  '64. 
.  Aug.  19/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Sept.    2/63.. Cons.  tr.  to  Co.  E. 

.Dec.  23/63.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.,  no  record  in  Fourth  Maine. 

.Sept.    2/63.. Sub.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  18/63.  .Sub.  tr.  to  Co.  F. 

.Aug.  24/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  24/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  24/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Sept.    7/61.  .Disch.  Oct.  4,  '64,  term  exp. 

.Mch.  25/62.. Wd.  Wilderness,  disch.,  Apr.  6,  '65. 

SOLDIERS    WHO    JOINED    COMPANY    FROM    FIFTH    COMPANY    UN  ASSIGNED    INFANTRY 

IN  NOVEMBER,  1864 

Cole,  John,  Jr 19.  .Anson Oct.      5/64.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Moore,  John  G 19.  .Anson Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st  .H  A. 

Penney,  Everett  A 18.  .Waterville Oct.      5/64..  Tr.  1st  H.  A. 


NAMB 

Carter  Preston  J 

AGE    RESIDENCE    M 
1 
18   .Belfast  I 

Campbell,  Thomas  B 

,  .  28  .  .  Thomaston  ....  I 
1  9     Warren                 1 

Davis,  Henry  A  
Douglass,  Asa  
Folsom,  Albert  F  
Grover,  Albert  
Harlow,  Nathan  B..  . 

..20..  Unity  S 
..33.  .Unity  t 
..21.  .Greenbush  t 
.18.  .Brooks  I 
,  .28.  .Auburn  £ 

Hall,  Stephen  

.  .44.  .Portland  I 

Ham  John  H 

2  1      Bangor           .      / 

Higgins,  John  L  
Howe  David 

.36.  .Webster  E 
2  7     Skowhegan          £ 

Hubbard,  Moses  H... 
Hughey  David 

.  .30.  .Bangor  / 
21      Bangor           .    ./ 

Kurd,  George  F  
Jackson  Seth  W 

.  .  19.  .Bangor  / 
.43    .  Lewiston    .        .  / 

Larvin,  Frank  , 
Lambert,  Jonas  B.  .  . 
Lamb,  Samuel  , 

,  .18.  .Lewiston  / 
.  .20.  .Augusta  £ 
,.21.  .Lowell  / 

Lopez,  Antonio  , 
Murphy,  Alvin  
Omao,  Monga  
Percy,  Leonard  
Russ,  Robert  F  

,.24.  .Portland  / 
,  .18.  .Portland  £ 
.21.  .Brandy,  Va  I 
,  .26.  .Woolwich  £ 
,  .22.  .Belfast     / 

Sanborn,  John  .  .  . 

28     Belfast                  / 

Smith,  Otto  

.21..  Belfast   / 

Stevens,  Edmund,  Jr. 
Wade,  Edwin  
Wentworth,  James  P.. 

..23.  .Belfast  / 
.18.  .Belfast  £ 
.25.  .Rockland  » 

SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED 
Leroy  S.  Scott 25.  .Belfast. .  . 


Ansel  L.  White  . . . 
George  L.  Starkey 
Elbridge  C.  Pierce 


.  .  .27.  .Belfast 

.  ..21..  Belfast.... 

.  .  .18.  .Belfast 

Asbury  C.  Richards  .  .  .21.  .Pittston.  .  , 


John  F.  Frost 25 ..  Belfast. 


John  Merriam  32  . 
Robert  T.  Newell  24. 
Edgar  Paul     21. 
Jacob  N.  Cunningham    21  . 
Ralph  Johnson  27  . 

.  Morrill    
.Belfast  
.Belfast  
.Waldo    .... 
.Belfast  

Henry  A.  Pierce  .  . 
John  A.  Lord     .  .  . 

John  N.  Moore 
Henry  Mclntosh    . 

....21. 
19. 

19 

.Belfast.. 
.Belfast  

.Belfast  
.  Vinalhaven 

44. 

Bean,  James  0 24.  .Belmont  . . 

Beckwith,  Silas    21..  Belfast .  . 

Blodgett,  Joshua  W.  .  .  18 .  .  Morrill    .  .  . 
Brown,  Jonathan  M.  .  .21 .  .  Belfast.  . .  . 

Brown,  James  C 44.  .Searsmont. 

Buckling,  William  D . .  .  2  7  .  .  Waldo    .  . . 

Burd,  Samuel  F 30.  .Belfast.  .  .  . 

Byard,  Henry  D 30.  .Rockland  . 

Campbell,  Annas  S.  .  .  .29.  .Belfast.  .  . . 


COMPANY   D. 

AND  JOINED  THS  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 
SERGEANTS  -^   J  *      < 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62..Pr.  2d.  lieut.  Co.  B.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  of  wds. 
July  13,  '63. 

...Aug.  25/62.. Pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut.  Co.  B.  and  capt.  Co.  F. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Nov.  12,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  1st.  sergt.  2d.  lieut.  1st.  lieut.  and  Capt. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  capt.  Co.  E. 
CORPORALS 

...Aug.  25/62..  Pr.   sergt.   pris.   Jerusalem   Plank  Road,   disch. 
June  12,  '64. 

.    .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  Aug.  25,  '63. 

.    .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  9,  '63. 

.    .Aug.  2  5  ,'62..  Red.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  15,  '63. 

.    .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  det.  in  arty.  brig.  m.  o. 

.    .Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  1st.  sergt.  wd.  and  missg.  Wilderness,  sup 
posed  to  have  been  killed. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Jan.  26,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  2d.  lieut.  1st.  lieut.  and  Capt. 
MUSICIANS 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  18,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Sick  in  hosp.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Dec.  27,  '64. 
PRIVATES 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  arty.  brig.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  died  Salis 
bury  prison,  Jan.  15,  '65. 

..  .Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Dec.  15,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Des.  Sept.  23,  '62. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Mch.  24,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  July  14,  '64. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Jan.  19,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  prov.  guard,  m.  o. 


330 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


.Belfast 

.  Merrill    

.Pittston 

.  Knox    

.Thorndike.  .  . 

.Belfast 

.  Bowdoinham 

.Waldo    

.Belfast 

.  Northport    . 

.Belfast 

.Belfast 

.Belfast 

.Belfast 

.  Belmont 
.  Swanville     . . 
.Belfast. .  . 
.Belfast..  . 
.Montville. 
.  Belmont  . 
.Belfast..  . 
.  Waldo    .  . 

.Belfast 

.  Waldoboro  .  . 

.  Waldoboro  .  . 
.Pittston 


NAME  AGE     RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  carpenter,  m.  o. 
..Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Dec.  30,  "62. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  guard  at  hdqrs  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Jan.  1,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  North  Anna. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  North  Anna,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Strawberry  Plains,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed.  Gettysburg. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  15,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Died  Feb.  13,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Frederick  City,  Oct.  23,  '62. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  7, '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Jan.  19,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  9,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Dec.  1,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  3.  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  High  Bridge,  disc.  May  30,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  4,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  North  Anna,  disc.  Feb.  20,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  killed,  North  Anna. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.    Jerusalem    Plank   Road,    died    Anderson- 

ville  Dec.  27,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Aug.  27.  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Spottsylvania,  pris.  Reams' Station  prison 
er  at  m.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Jan.  2d.  '64. 

Aug.  25/62..  Died  Dec.  1.  '64. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Died  on  March  Nov.  4,  '62. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  sergt.  and  com-sergt.  disc.  Mch. 30/65 

Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  disch.  June  23,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  tr.  to  navy. 

Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  mortally  wd.  Wilderness,  died  Freder- 

icksburg,  May  24,  '64. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Dec.  9,  '62. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Cold  Harbor. 

Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Pris.  Nov.  5,  '64  on  picket,  disch.  May  15/65. 

Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  q.  m.  sergt.  and  2d.  lieut.  Co.  E. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Mch.  31,  '65  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 

....Aug.  25/62.. Pr.   corp.    Pris.   Jerusalem   Plank  Road,   disch, 
June  12,  '65. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  22,  '63. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  wagoner  at  brig,  hdqrs.  m.  o. 

Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

Aug.  2  5/62..  Det.  as  forage  master,  m.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1,  '63. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  15,  '64. 

Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62..  Wd.  Bristoe  Station,  m.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  21,  '63. 

Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  killed  Wilderness. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Missg.  Nov.  4,  '62  on  march  from  Upperville  to 

Ashby's  Gap,  reptd.  des. 
...  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  4,  '63. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Wilderness. 

Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  ambulance  corps.,  m.  o. 

Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Aug.  22,  '63. 

....Aug.  25/62..  Pris.    Jerusalem    Plank   Road,    died    Anderson- 

ville,  Oct.  1,  '64. 
Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 


Carter,  John  W.  .  26 

Chandler,  Josiah  A.  ...28 

Chase,  Elijah  S 32 

Clements,  Charles  H.    .21. 

Coffin,  Augustus    21 

Cooper,  Charles  F 18. 

Cromwell,  Jeremiah  M.  24. 
Cunningham,  Alden  ..21. 
Cunningham,  Cornelius  38 

Curtis,  Alden  H 20 

Dean,  Horace 18 

Eastman,  Israel  C.  .  .  .21 
Eldridge,  Richard  G.  .44 
Flanders,  Richard  F.  .27. 

Gray,  John 44. 

Hamilton,  Charles  R. .  . 2 1 . 
Hartshorn,  Henry  H..  .21. 
Hartshorn,  William  H.  30. 
Hatch,  Gardner  L.  ...28. 

Hatch,  Barak  A 21. 

Haire,  Roswell 39. 

Hawkins,  Ford  S 18. 

Hinds,  Prescott  D.  ...  18. 
Hoffses,  Hiram  B 21. 

Hoffses,  Lorenzo  W..  .  .27  . 
Hollis,  Enoch  Jr 30. 

Hunt,  Kingsbury 35.  .Pittston.  . 

Hunt,  Lewis 27  .  .Pittston.  . 

Kelley,  Louira  A 18.  .  Belfast.  .  . 

Kendall,  Waterman  B.  44.  .Morrill  .  . 
Knowlton,  John  C.  .  .  .34.  .Montville 
Knowlton,  Elisha  P...  .25.  .Swanville. 
Lear,  Benjamin  O.  .  .  .25.  .Northport 

Lenfest,  James 28.  .Swanville 

Maker,  Andrew  R 20.  .Belfast.  .  . 

Mayo,  Nelson  N 21.  .Belfast.  .  . 

Michaels,  George 27.  .Belfast. 

Mixer,  Jackson 22  ..  Belfast. 

Murch,  Charles  A 21.  .Belfast. 

Nickerson,  Jonathan  S.  26.  .Belfast 

Palmer,  George  W 18.  .Pittston 

Page,  George  H 28 ..  Warren 

Pease,  Ithiel 35.  .Belfast. 

Perham,  Myrick 23.  .Pittston 

Poor,  Levi  M 19 ..  Belmont  . 

Powers,  William  T 23.  .Belfast.  .  . 

Prescott,  Franklin  K..  .21 .  .Northport 

Rackliff,  Ezekiel 43.  .Rockland 

Robbins,  James 33 ..  Belfast.  .  . 

Robbins,  Emery    23  ..  Belfast.  .  . 

Shaw,  Alpheus 38.  .Belfast.  .  . 

Sherman.  Bridges  C 28 .  . Liberty  .  . 

Smally,  Castanous  M.  .18.  .Belfast.  .  . 
Thomas,  Ezekiel  R.  .  .  19.  .Morrill  .  . 

Thomas,  Hushai    44.  .Morrill    .  . 

Thomas,  Hushai  C 21..  Morrill    . 

Tripp,  Rufus    21 .  .Swanville. 

Tufts,  George  F 21 .  .Belfast.  .  . 

Wales,  John  Jr 44 ..  Belfast .  .  . 

Warren,  Alphonzo  R..  .21.  .Pittston.  . 

Waterman,  Alfred  P.  .  18 .  .  Belfast. .  . 
Wentworth,  Orlando  F.19.  .Waldo  .  .  . 
Wen tworth, Franklin  A.24.  .  Belfast.  .  . 
Wentworth,  Franklin.  .23.  .Waldo  .  . 
Wentworth  Hollis  M.  .23.  .Waldo  .  . 
White,  John  A 20.  .Belfast.  .  . 

White,  James  W 18  ..  Belfast.  . . 


ROSTER 


33 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 
NAME  AGE     RESIDENCE    MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 


Williams,  George 30.  .Waldo    .  .  . 

Wilson,  Jesse  A 19  ..  Belfast. .  .  . 

Woodbury,  Richard  W.20.  .Waldo    .  .  . 

Wood,  Francis  C 27  .  .Northport 

Wording,  William  H.    . 21 .  . Belfast. .  .  . 

Wyman,  Frederick  H.   22  ..  Belfast 

Young,  John  W 24.  .Belfast.  .  .  . 

Anderson,  Christian    .  .21 .  .Portland    . 

Bohnn,  Adolph    2 5.. Portland    . 

Brown,  Silas 18.  .  Belfast.  .  .  . 

Brown,  William  J 18.  .Searsmont. . 

Bonzey,  Roland 20 ..  Ellsworth  . 

Brainard,  Lucius  H..  .  .  18.  .Northport 

Carney,  Michael 24.  .Augusta  .  . 

Carter,  Joseph    44.  .Belfast.  .  .  . 

Copeland,  Samuel    ...  .26.  .St.  George. 
Cromwell,  Oliver.  .  . 


MUSTERED  INTO 
U.  S.  SERVICE 
..Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  3,    63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  19,  'o3. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Apr.  18,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.  red.  tr.  to  navy. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.. Pr.  corp.  killed,  Cold  Harbor. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  m.  o. 
.  .May     3/64.  .Pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Aug.   13/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvariia,  disc.  Feb*.  6,  '65. 
.  Jan.    25/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Dec.      4/63. .  Wd.  Ft.  Haskell,  Nov.  2.  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Feb.     8/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Mch.     2/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Sept.  29/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
..Jan.      9/64..Disch.  June  26,  '65. 
.  .  .Aug.   14/63.  .Cons.  des.  Sept.  26/63.  . . 


Donell,  Gilman  S 
Eastman,  Josiah  N.  . 
Gilbreth,  Francis  G. 
Harvey,  John 
Huzzey,  John 
Higgins,  Prince  D 


.  .  .30.  .Bowdoinham  .  July    17/63.  .Cons.  wd.  and  pris.  JerusalemPlank  Road,  reptd 

died,  Oct.  18,  '64. 
Died,  Apr.  26,  '65. 
Cons.  des.  from  hosp.  Sept.  5,  '64. 
Cons.  disc.  Dec.  11,  '63. 
Cons,   missing  on  march  near  Brandy  Station 

Oct.  12,  '63,  reported  a  deserter. 
Cons.  disc.  Mch.  14,  '64. 
Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A.,  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  Jan.    16/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


Crockett,  Francis 19.  .Belfast Feb.     4/65 

Day,  George  H 32  .  Jefferson    July    18/63 

Dickey,  Harry 22.  .Winthrop Aug.  14/63 

Dooley,  Thomas 28.  .St.  George Aug.  14/63 


21..  Bath 
.31  .  .Webster 
.  19  .  .  Belfast 
22  ..  Belfast 
18.  .Carmel 
19  ..  Belfast 


July    17/63.  .' 

;er July    18/63.  j 

t Feb.   21/65..' 


July 
.Aug. 


gg 
Johnson,  Sewell  H  .....  29.  .Bowdoinham 

Jones,  John  ..........  26  ..  Portland    .  .  . 

Jose,  James  H  ........  25.  .Saco  ....... 

King,  John  ...........  32  .  .Augusta.  .... 

Kimball,  Daniel  ......  20.  .Somerville  .....  Jan. 

Ludes,  Charles  ........  27  .  .Lewiston    .....  Aug. 

Maker,  Edward  H.    .  .  .  18  .  .  Belfast  ........  Feb. 

Mahew,  Vinal  S  ......  18.  .Belfast  ........  Jan. 


.Sept.  21/63.  .Cons,  pris.' Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
Jan.    31/65..  Died,  May  15/65. 


17/63.. Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  died,  July  22,  '64. 
12/63.. Cons  wd.  and  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 
.Sept.  21/63.  .Cons.  disc.  May  18,  '65. 
.Aug.  15/63.. Cons.  disc.  Dec.  30,  '63. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
10/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

1/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
25/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


Moore,  John  S 42  .  .Fall  River.Mass  May  17/64.  .Mortally  wd.  Hatchers'  Run,  died  Feb.  5,  '65. 


Moody,  William  F.    .  .  .  19  .  .  Bangor 
Morrison,  John 24.  .Montville 


25.  .Poland 

26.  .Portland     .  .  . 
26 ..  Bowdoinham 

19.  .Belfast 

35..  Farmington 


Peterson,  Orrin  I. 
Peterson,  Peter    .... 
Raymond,  Elbridge  G 
Robinson,  Arthur  W. 
Ruggles,  Vernon  P.  .  , 
Sawyer,  Arthur  M. 
Sawyer,  William  R.  .  . 
Siegers,  Benjamin  B. 
Siegers,  Samuel  A.  ... 
Stackpole,  Sharington 

Stuart,  Francis  C 

Walker,  Otis 36  ..  Biddeford 

Welch,  Thomas    35  ..  Portland 

Wilbur,  Joseph  W.    .  . .  26 .  .  Lewiston 
Withiam,  John  B 18.  .Portland 


.Sept.  23/63. 
.Sept.  21/63. 
July  17/63. 
.Mch.  1/65. 


.July   27/63.. Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr,.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  des.  from  hosp.  Jan.  1,  '65. 
Cons,  wd  Wilderness,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
Cons.  tr.  to  navy. 

Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Apr.  3,  '65. 
Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  disc.  May,  2  '64. 

21 .  .Bath July    17/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Tan.  9,  '65. 

20.  .Bath July    17/63.. Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

34.  .Dresden July    18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  North  Anna,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

22.  .Dresden July    18/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

23.  .Belfast Feb.    16/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

21.  .Mt.  Vernon Aug.  12/63.. Cons.  des.  Oct.  19,  '63. 

.Sept.    9/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Jan.  6,  '65. 
.Feb.     2/64. .  Killed,  Wilderness. 
July    15/63.. Cons.  disc.  Dec.  15,  '63. 
.May     4/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


Whitehouse,  William    .24.  .Lovell July     1/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A.  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT,  JUNE  15,  1864 


Boggs,  Emerson  H.  ...  18. 

Cameron,  John 25, 

Clark,  William  H 18. 

Clark,  Abial  B 19. 

Clark,  Joseph  E 22 

Cook,  John 44. 

Cunningham,  Jacob  C.   35. 
Cunningham  William  E  33  . 

Dunbar,  Joseph 18. 

Eaton,  James  B 18 . 

Gray,  Benjamin 41 

Hall.  Edward   .  .  .  .20. 


.  Rockland  .  . 
.  Presque  Isle 
.  Northport  . 
.  Jefferson  .  . 
.Belfast.. 


Belfast 

.  Washington 

Washington 

Belfast 

Deer  Isle  .  . 
,  Aroostook.  . 
,  Rockland  .  . 


.Nov.  10/61. 
.Sept.  1/62. 
.Mch.  5/62. 
Jan.  1/64. 
.Mch.  5/62, 


Dec.  5/63 
an.  1/64 
une. 15/61. 
ch.  14/64. 

June  15/61. 

Aug.  31/63 

Sept.  9/62 


.Abs.  sick  disch.  exp.  term  of  service. 

.Sub.  died  June  17,  '64  of  wds.  rec'd  Wilderness. 

.  Disch.  term  exp. 

.Vet.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died  And  -sonville 

Oct.  2,  '64. 

.  Pris.  Wilderness,  died  Andersonville  July  25,   64. 
.Vet.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Disch.  July  13,  '65. 
.Pr.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Wd.  Wilderness,  pr.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


332 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME 

Martin,  Henry  
Meservey,  Samuel  L. 
Morrill,  Charles  W... 
McAllister,  Emery  A. 
Nickerson,  Edward  B 
Norton,  Simon  L.    .  . 
Parent,  Solomon    .  .  . 
Perkins,  George  .... 

AGE 

..24. 
..29. 
..20. 
.  .37. 
.    25. 
..30. 
.  .36. 
.42. 
.  .44. 
.  .19. 
..24. 
.  .21. 
.  .18. 
.  .22. 
.  .24. 

RESIDENCE 

.Canada  
.  Rockland  .  .  . 
.  Lisbon    
.  Milford  
.  Presque  Isle 
.  Presque  Isle 
.  Presque  Isle 
.  Newcastle    .  . 
.  Portland    .  .  . 
.Brooks  
.  Bangor  
.New  York.  .  . 
.Camden  
.Gardiner    .  .  . 
.  Rockland  .  .  . 

MUSTI 
U.  S. 
.  .  Aug. 
-Jan. 
.  .Sept. 
.  -Aug. 
.  .Sept. 
.  .Sept. 
.  .Aug. 
.  .Dec. 
.  .Sept. 
.  .  Jan. 
.  .Sept. 
.  .Sept. 
.  .  Mch. 
..Jan. 
.  .Sept. 

:RF. 
SKI 
31, 
1, 
1, 
29, 
1, 
1 
29, 
2«. 
1, 
1, 
1  , 
2, 
13, 
1, 
12, 

D  INTO                     REMARKS 

IVICE 

'63.  .Sub.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
'64..  Vet.  sergt.  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
'63.  .Sub.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
'63.  .Sub.  pris.  Nov.  5,  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
'63..  Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
'63     Sub   wd    tr    fst    H    A 

'63. 
'63. 
'63. 
'64. 
'63. 
'63. 
'62., 
'64. 
'62. 

.Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Sub.  wd.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Pris.  Nov.  5,  '64,  disch.  June  25.  '65. 
.Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Sub.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  Ist.H.    A. 
Abs.  sick  at  exp.  of  term. 
.Vet.  pris.  Gettysburg  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  In  hosp.  at  m.  o. 

Pierce,  James  
Randall.  Edward  .  .  . 
Rediker,  James    .... 
Russ,  John    F  
Schwartz,  James  O.  . 
Taylor,  Simeon    .... 
Thompson,  Joseph  .  . 

SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY 


Bennett,  Charles  .  . 
Cummings,  John  .  . 

Nehemiah  Smart 
James  H.  Pierce  . .  . 

George  L.  Merrill  . , 
Alfred  E.  Nickerson 
Russell  F.  Perkins  .  . 


Mark  R.  Ginn 

Benjamin  O.  Sargent 
Frank  A.  Patterson  .  . 
Esburn  E.  Weed  .... 
William  B.  Sawyer  .  . 
Andrew  D.  Black  .  .  . 
John  B.  Campbell  . .  . 
Charles  B.  Norris  .  . 


.25.  .Bridgton    . 
,18.. Solon    . 


.25.  .Swanville 
.30.  .Prospect  . 

.21.  .Searsport 
.22.  .Swanville 
,22.  .Frankfort 


28.  .Prospect  . 
25. .Searsport 
21  .  .Stockton 
28.  .Frankfort 
23 .  .Searsport 
23. .Stockton 
,21.  .Frankfort 
.22. .Searsoort 


Alonzo  Glidden    .... 
Wilmoth  Porter     

Ames,  Albert    

Atwood,  John  R 

Blanchard,  Thomas  S. 

Bowden,  Levi     

Brown,  John  H 

Burgess,  Benjamin    .  . 
Campbell,  Charles  E. 
Campbell,  Daniel  A..  . 
Carlin,  Robert  Jr. 
Carter,  William  A.  . .  . 

Cilley,  Tudah    

Clark,  Charles 


Cobb.  James  T 

Colson,  James  A 

Colson,  William  J.  .  .  . 
Cookson,  Franklin  S. 
Cookson,  Joseph  G.  .  . 

Crane,  Sewall  H 

Curtis,  Americus  J.. .  . 

Curtis,  Nelson    

Dearborn,  Leonard.  . 
Dickey,  Manly  L. 

Downs,  Nahum    

Dow,  Enoch  C 

Edwards.  Joseph  W.  . 
Grant,  William  H.  .  .  . 

Grover,  Moses    

Harriman,  Charles  E.. 
Holmes,  John  C 


.39. .Prospect  .. . 
.44. .Searsport  .  . 

.22.  .Searsport  .  . 
.20.  .Frankfort  .  . 
20. .Stockton  .  . 
.20.  .Frankfort  .  . 
.36.  .Swanville  .  . 
.25.  .Rockland  .  . 
,18.  .Frankfort  .  . 
,21..  Frankfort  .  . 
,19.  .Searsport  .  . 
,18. .Stockton  .  . 

,22..  Brooks 

,2 5.. Frankfort  .  . 

,18. .Searsport  .  . 
.18. .Searsport  .  . 
.21..  Searsport  .  . 
,23.  .Frankfort  .  . 
,21..  Frankfort  .  . 
,23.  .Frankfort  .  . 
.23.  .Swanville  .  . 
.25..  Swanville  .  . 
.31 .  .Manchester 
.18. .Stockton  .  . 
,21..  Swanville  .  . 
.20. .Stockton  .  . 
,21.. Searsport  .  . 
,18. .Prospect  . .  . 
.  42  .  .  Swanville  .  . 
,18.  .Searsport. .  . 
.18.  .Frankfort  .  . 


FROM   FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY  IN 
NOVEMBER,  1864. 

.Oct.      5, '64. .  Pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut. 
.Oct.      5,'64..Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

SERGEANTS 
.Aug.  25,'62..Pr.  2d.  lieut.  1st.  lieut.  and  capt.  wd.  Spottsyl- 

vania. 
..Aug.  25,'62..Pr.  1st.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness 

pr.  1st.  lieut.  co.  C. 

.Aug.  25, '62.  .Disch.  for  promotion,  Dec.  28,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut.  co.  B. 
.Aug.  25, '62.  .Red.  by  request,  disc.  Jan.  15,  '63. 

CORPORALS 

.Aug.  25, '62.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  15,  '64. 
.  Au;?.  25/62.  .  Red.  by     request,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  27,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  to  navy. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  6,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  sergt.  det.  on  color-guard,  pr.  2d.  lieut.  co.  F. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  sergt-maj.  Dec.  6,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  18,  '64. 

MUSICIANS 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  8,  '63. 

WAGONER 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  May  23,  '63. 

PRIVATES 

.Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  16,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Spottsylvania. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  15,  '64. 
.Aug.  25, '62.. Disc.  Jan.  15,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  4,  U.  S.  arty. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.  Petersburg,  died  July  19,  '64. 
.Aug.  25, '62..  Disc.  Mch.  19,  '64. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died  Aug.  30,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  1st.  R.  I.  arty,  miss'g  Gettysburg,  also 

reptd.  des.  July,  3  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Oct.  1,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  5,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg  and  killed  at  Spottsylvania. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Apr.  4,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Apr.  15,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  17.  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Spottsylvania,  disch.  May  11,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  1,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Kalorama  hosp..  Wash.,  Feb.  9,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  18,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  killed,  Gettysburg. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  1st.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  Ambulance  driver,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Disc.  Dec.  27,  '62. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  fr.  wounds,  July  10,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Det.  1st.  R.  I.  arty.    disc.  June  14/65. 


ROSTER 


333 


NAME 


AGE     RESIDENCE 


Keene,  John  F 20. 

Low,  William  H 20. 

Maddox,  Jason 23  . 

McCarty,  Collins  Jr.    ..23. 


. Stockton 
.  Frankfort 
.Appleton. 
.Belfast.. 


McManus,  J.  Henry  .  . 
Merrill,  Eugene  
Moore  James  S  

.21..  Thorndike  .  . 
.19.  .Searsport  .  . 
.29.  .Frankfort  .  . 

Moore,  John  B  
Morrow,  Robert  
Morman,  Alpheus  F.  . 
Nason  James  E  . 

.18.  .Frankfort  .. 
.23.  .Searsport  .  . 
.18.  .Searsport  .  . 
.20.  .  Frankfort  .  . 

Nichols,  Milton  W.  .  . 
Nickerson,  John  E..  .  . 
Nickerson,  John  F.  .  .  . 
Nickerson,  Ruel  
Nickerson,  Fred  A..  .  . 
Nickerson,  Andrew  H. 
Patterson,  Isaac  W.  . 

.21..  Searsport  .  . 
.20.  .Swanville  .  . 
.18.  .Swanville  . 
.26.  .Swanville  . 
.20.  .Swanville  . 
20.  .Swanville  . 
.18.  .Prospect  .. 

Pease,  Samuel  0 29.  .Frankfort  . 

Pendleton,  Levi  A.  .  .  .29.  .Stockton  . 
Scribner,  Herbert  T.  .  .18.  .Searsport  . 
Shaw,  James  H 39  ..  Brunswick 

Sheldon,  Edward  B..  .  .23.  .Camden.  .  . 

Staples,  Robert  F 23  .  .Stockton    . 

Staples,  Peleg  S 18.  .Stockton    . 

Staples,  Andrew  Jr.  ..  .20.  .Stockton    . 

Stinson,  Alfred 20.  .Prospect  .  . 

Strout,  Parish  L 24 ..  Swanville  . 

Smith,  Stephen    33.  .Swanville  . 

Spalding,  Isaac  L 18 ..  Frankfort  . 

Sweetser,  James 18  .  .Searsport  . 

Treat,  James  M 22  .  .Stockton    . 

Trundy,  Octavius  H.  .18.  .Searsport  . 
Turnbull,  Franklin  .  .  .21.  .Frankfort  . 

Waning,  Freeman 20.  .Frankfort  . 

Waterhouse,  Fred  L.  .  .23.  .Searsport  . 

West,  Amos  W 18 .. Frankfort  . 

Woodbury,  Stephen  E.  25.  .Searsport. . 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  15,  '64. 
. .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 
..  .Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 
. .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  arm  amputated,  disc.  Oct. 

23,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Sept.  18,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Oct.  27,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Apr.  15,  '64. 
.  ..Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  ambulance  driver,  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aog.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Meh.  8,  '65. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  July  18,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.,  corp.  killed,  Spottsylvania. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  July  15,  '63. 
. .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  mortally  wd.  Wilderness,  died  May  21, 

"64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  May  21,  '64,  Mattapony  river,  died,  Ander- 

sonville,  Aug.  21,  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  17,  '62. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  27,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  mortally  wd.  North  Anna,  died  June,  8 

'64. 
..  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.    Gettysburg,    arm    amputated,    disc.    Oct. 

23,  '63. 

Pr.  corp.,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 
Det.  1st.  R.  I.  arty.  wd.  Boydton  Road,  disch. 

June  15,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  batt.  C.  4,  U.  S.  arty. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  July  27,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Jan.  5,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Apptd.  musician  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  15,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  7,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Jan.  5,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Reptd.  des.  Apr.  2,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Apptd.  musician,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Dec.  14,  '64. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  corp.  disch.  June  9,  '65. 


..Aug.  25/62, 
.  .Aug.  25/62. 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 


Bassett,  Samuel 
Baker,  John. 
Blake,  Sewall  B. 
Bray,  Herman  L. 
Carr,  John 


.  .  2 1 .  .  Winterport    ...Jan.    26/65..  Wd.  High  Bridge,  disch.  June  17,  '65. 


.21.  .Winterport 
.20.  .Dexter.  .  .  . 
.18.  .Winterport 
.Portland  . 


.Jan.    26/65.. Wd.  High  ] 

.Jan.    28/65.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A.  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 


.21. 


Campbell,  Augustus    .  .18.  .Livermore. 

Christy,  George  A 30.  .Sedgwick. . 

Clark,  John 26 ..  Portland    . 

Colson,  Stephen 22  .  .Winterport 


Cook,  Henry 33  . 

Crocker,  Orrin  B 22. 

Currier,  John  M. 
Dean,  Austin  H. 
Doyle,  Henry  A. 


Portland 
. Stockton 
18.  .  Anson  .  .  . 
18.  .Frankfort 
34.  .Augusta  .  . 


Eaton,  James 20.  .Winterport 

Farr,  William  . 


Frazier,  Milton  W. 


,20.  .Lewiston 
.25.  .Ellsworth 


.Aug.   12/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  Jan.    28/65.  .Wd.  Mch.  28,  '65  disch.  June  8,  '65. 
..Aug.  12/63.. Sub.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died,  Ander- 

sonville,  Sept.  15,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  18/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.    H.  A. 
..Mch.     4/65..  Disch.  May  13,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  12/62.  .Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
..Jan.    25/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Aug.  12/63.  .Sub.  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  15,  '64. 

Aug.     5/63.  .Cons.  tr.  to  navy    Apr.  15,  '64. 

Jan.         '65..  Died  Jan.  18,  '65. 

Feb.    18/65.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.     8/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Jan.    26/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  Aug.     8/63 ..  Sub.  killed,  Wilderness. 

.Jan.    26/65.  .Disch.  May  13,  '65. 


Freeman,  Marcellus  .  .  .25.  .Augusta Aug.  17/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  disch.  June  5,  '65. 


Foley,  John    21.. Paris 


George,  Henry  A. 
Gould,  Rufus  H. 


.  .21.  .New  Sharon 
..21..  Jefferson 
.21..  Swanville 


Hartshorn,  John  A. 

Hartshorn,  Cyrus 18.  .Swanville 

Herris,  (or  Harris), 

Harvey  T 19 .  .Swanville 

Hopkins,  Charles  W.  .  .23.  .Ellsworth 


.Aug.     8/63.. Sub.  pris.  Wilderness,  died  Andersonville,  June 

IS,  '64. 

Jan.      5/64.  .Disch.  July  16,  '65. 
July   20/63.. Sub.  killed,  Wilderness. 
,  .Aug.  29/63.  .Sub.  wd.  North  Anna,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.Dec.   24/63.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Dec.    19/63.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  abs.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
Jan.    26/65.  .Disch.  May  13,  '65. 


334 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME 

Huff,  James  H. 
Huff,  John  B.  . 
Jones,  William 


AGE     RESIDENCE 

....  18.  .Swanville  .  . 
....  44 ..  Swanville  .  . 
29 ..  Portland  .  . 


Jones,  Marshall    21 .  .Somerville.  . 

Knowles,  Reuben  Jr.    .20.  .Bradford    .. 

Lowe,  Arthur  D 19 ..  Frankfort  .  . 

March,  Joseph    20.. Bradford    .. 

Merten,  Ernest 20.  .  Bangor 

Patterson,  Otis  B 20.  .Swanville  .  . 

Pendleton,  Lewis  E..  .  .22.  .Frankfort  .  . 

Philbrick  Augustus L.  .28.  .Belfast 

Pinkham,  John  C 42.  .Washington 

Pooler,  Joseph 19  .  .  Waterville.  . 

Perkins,  Daniel  W 27  .. Limerick    .  . 

Pumero,  Thomas 23.  .Whitefield.  . 

Savage,  Jacob    28.. Gardiner    .. 

Sanborn,  Isaac  L 29.  .Newport  .  .  . 

Sargentson,  John 28.  .Tremont  . .  . 

Tibbetts,  Kingsbury.  .  .27.  .Springfield  . 

Treat,  Winfield  S 18 ..  Bradford    .  . 

Trefethen,  Benjamin  F.42  .  .C.  Elizabeth 

Trollop,  William    41 ..  Farmington 

Tyzaac,  Henry  N 18.  .Portland    .  . 

Turner,  George  T 21..  Prospect  .  .  . 

Waldron,  Sidney 18.  .Frankfort  .  . 

Wharff,  Edwin  D 21 .  .Fremont  pi. 

Willey,  Simon  H 21..  Exeter    


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.  .  .Dec.    19/63. .  Pr.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Jan.      1/64.. Wd.  Wilderness,  abs.  at  m.  o.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
,  .  .Aug.  12, '63.. Sub.    pris.    Cold    Harbor,    died    Andersonvilla, 

Aug.  16,  '64 

. .  July    18/63.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A.  abs.  at  m.  o. 
,  .  .Aug.  14/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Mch.  29,  '65. 
.  .  .Sept.    7/63.  .Sub.  disch.  May  23,  '65. 
.  .  .Sept.  16/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Aug.  12/63.  .Sub.  died,  May  28.  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/63.  .Sub.  pr.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Apr.    12/65.  .Disch.  May  13,  '65,  never  joined  company. 
.  .  .Aug.  14/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Aug.  18/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Sept.    9/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  disch.  June  6,  '65. 
.  .  .Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A.,  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  .  .Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A.  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.     8/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

,  .  .Aug.  16/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Mine  Run,  died  in  rebel  prison 
.  .  .Sept.  26/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  date  of  disch.  not  shown. 
.  .  .Aug.  15/63.  .Sub.  disc.  Dec.  16,  '64. 
.  .  .Sept.    7/63.  .Sub.  died,  Jan.  19,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  18/63.  .Sub.  killed,  North  Anna. 
,  .  .Aug.  14/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
,  .  .July    13/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Feb.     4/64..Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  15/64... 

..Apr.    14/65..  Disc.  May  13,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disch.  June  13,  '65. 

.  .Sept.  17/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Mine  Run,  died  Andersonville,  July 
10,  '64. 


SOLDIERS  TRANSFERED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT  JUNE  15,  1864. 

Bullen,  Joseph  S 18.  .Swanville Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  pr.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Colson,  Otis    18.  .Winterport    .  .  .Dec.   30/62. .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Petersburg,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Fanaughty,  David  ...  .39.  .Belfast A.ug.  25/63.  .Cons.jtr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Farnham,  Joseph  E..  .  .25.  .Knox 


Fickett,  Moses  D. 

Gray,  Nathan 21 .  .Sedgwick. 

Gipson,  John  N 36.  .Boston.  . 

Grindle,  Andrew    ...      '"     n 
Holmes,  Hiram  C..  .  . 
Hubbard,  Moses  H.  . 

Hughey,  David    

Hutchins,  Albert  E. 

Howe,  James    

Kilgore,  Frank 

Knowles,  Benjamin  . 

Murphy,  Alvin 

Poor,  Charles  D.    ... 
Richards,  Elisha  P.  . 


.  .  .Nov.  9/61.  .  Wd.  Reams'  Station  disc.  Nov.  27,  '64. 

.39 .  .Swanville Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A.,  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

.  .  .Nov.  9/61 .  . Wd.  Wilderness,  never  joined  company. 

.  .  .Aug.  29/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

40.  .Bluehill    Nov.  9/61.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  never  joined  company. 

.  .  18.  .Bucksport July  20/61.  .Disch.  July  28,  '64,  exp.  of  serv. 

.  .30.  .Bangor Aug.  20/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .21 .  .Bangor Aug.  9/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .20.  .Swanville Aug.  21/63.  .Cons,  killed  on  picket,  Oct.  7,  '64. 

.20.  .Arrowsic    Aug.  28/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.20.  .Waterford Aug.  24/63.  .Cons.  pr.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.30.  .Jackson    Mch.  30/64.  .Vet.  wd.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H. 

.18.  .Portland    Aug.     2/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Dec.  17,  '64. 

.18.  .Belfast Feb.   28/62.. Wd.  Reams'  Station,  disch.  exp.  of  serv. 

.33.  .Thomaston    ..  .Aug.  28/62.  .Wd.  Cold  Harbor,    pris.    Reams'    Station,  disc . 


Roberts,  Benjamin    .  .  .45.  .Brooks Dec. 

Shales,  William  H.    .  .  .  19 .  .  Belfast Feb. 

Sylvary,  George  H 26 ..  Newport,  R.  I. .  Aug.  21/63 

Taylor,  George  W.  . 
Thomas,  John    .... 

Tyler,  John  A 

Weir,  Wilson    

White,  Daniel  C 

Whitten,  Elisha 

Wilton,  Charles  F.  . 
Winslow,  Nathan  S. 


July  31,  65. 

is.  Reams'  Station,  died  Rebel  prison,  Nov- 


5/63..  Pris 

ember,  23  '64. 
5,  '62.  .Pr.  sergt.  died  Jan.  28,  '64. 


.19.  .Richmond. 

.28.  .Belfast 

.21..  Richmond . 
.21 .  .Richmond. 

.  18.  .Clinton Aug.  27/63. 

.18.  .Clinton Aug.  19/63. 


.Aug.  5/63. 
.Aug.  22/63, 
.Aug.  26/63. 
.Aug.  22/63. 


.Sub.,  killed,  Petersburg,  June  18,  '64. 
.Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Sub.  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

.Sub.  died,  June  25,  '64. 

.Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.20.  .Clinton Aug.  20/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.19.  .Albion    May      5/63.  .Sub.     pris.     Totopotomoy,  died,  Andersonville, 

Aug.  13,  '64. 
Winslow,  Vernon  E 20.  .Casco    Jan.      4/64. .  Wd. Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH   COMPANY   UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY 

NOVEMBER  1864. 


IN 


Cross,  Hannibal  H..  . 
Gordon,  Daniel  E.  .  . 
Gove,  Alonzo  E. 
Tones,  Charles  F.  .  .  . 
Peavey,  Charles  
Peterson,  Louis 
Sargent,  Edward  B. 

.  .18. 
..18. 
.  .21. 
..18. 
..20. 
..27. 
..25. 

.Solon    
Readfield 

.Oct. 
Oct 

5/64. 
5/64 

.Disc.  J 
Tr    1st 

uly  21, 
.  H.  A. 
June  8, 
.  H.  A. 
.  H.  A. 
.  H.  A. 
June  9, 

'64. 
'65. 

'65. 

.  Windsor  

Oct. 

5/64. 
5/64. 
5/64. 
5/64. 
5/64. 

.Disch. 
.Tr.  1st 
.Tr.  1st 
.Tr.  1st 
.  Disch. 

.  Norridgewock 
.Anson  
.Whitefield  
.  Boothbay  

.Oct. 
.Oct. 
.Oct. 
.Oct. 

ROSTER 


335 


COMPANY  F. 
SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED  AND  JOINED  COMPANY    AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 


NAME 


Almon  Goodwin 22 

Amaziah  E.  Googins  .33 
Thomas  T.  Rideout  .  .  .21 
Oliver  R.  Small  . 


23.  . 


Orville  G.  Tuck 

William  A.  Wood    19. 

Charles  E.  Dillingham  36. 
Daniel  W.  Starbird  .  .  39  . 
Andrew  J.  Goodwin  ...  35  . 

William  Gray 42  . 

Foster,  Philip  H 28  . 

Henry  A.  Ham 26. 

Daniel  W.  Robinson     .21. 

Henry  H.  Williams  .  .  23 
Lauriston  Chamberlain  23 . 

Adams,  Charles  H.    ...18 

Adams,  Franklin 21 . 

Adams,  Silas 21. 

Allen,  James  H 21. 

Arris,  George  A 18 

Berry,  Andrew  J 26 

Blake,  Samuel  T.  . 
Bowe,  James  H.  . . 
Brann,  John  E.  .  . 
Bubier,  Thomas  L. 
Buker,  John  S. 
Burke,  Cyrus  E.  . . 
Chase,  George  E.  . 
Chase,  James  F.  . 

Cole,  Daniel  M 

Corey,  Robert  H.  .  .  . 
Crane,  Jonathan .... 
Crosby,  William  H.  ...  43 

Davis.  John  H 

Dennett,  Moses  S..  .  . 
Dunnell,  Edwin  L. 


Donnell,  Loring  P  ...  .23 

Dunlap,  James  G 25 

Durgin,  George  T 33 

Fairbanks,  Edwin 21 

Forrest,  William  A. 
Gardiner,  Israel  A. 
Getchell,  Philip  P.  . 
Gilbert,  Addison  D. 
Given,  Simeon  S.  .  . 
Glass,  Rufus  P.  ... 
Gowell,  John  D.  .  .  . 
Gowell,  Nathaniel  O.  .  IS  . 

Greenleaf,  Joseph  D.  .  .21 

Grover,  Alfred 

Gross,  Joshua  F.  .  . 
Hall,  Alanson  G..  .  . 
Hamlin,  David  .... 
Hanscom,  Moses  C.. 
Harmon,  Stephen  . 


Harrington,  Charles  D.  43  . 
Hodgman,  George  W.  .  31 . 

House,  George  M 18 . 

Howe,  Joseph  E 44. 

Jacques,  Nathaniel  P.  .25. 

Jaquith,  James 30. 

Keen,  Calvin  B 27. 


AGE     RESIDENCE       MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 
SERGEANTS 

Baldwin Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  2d.  lieut. 

Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .  Disc.  Apr.  9,  '63. 

Bowdoinham  ..Aug.  25,'62..Pr.  1st.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died.  July  18.  "OS. 

W   Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25, '62.  .  Pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut.  co.  E.  capt.  co.  K. 

.Hallowell Aug.  25,'62..Pr.  capt.  8th.  U.  S.  C.  T.  Oct.  15,  '63. 

CORPORALS 

.Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25,'62..Pr.  sergt. -maj.,  Mch.  22,  "64,  pris.  North  Anna. 
.W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  red.  at  own  request,  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

.Bowdoin    Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  3,  '63. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  at  own  request,  disc.  Feb.  22,  '63. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  1st.  sergt.,  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disch. 

Tune,  11  '65. 

.Wales Aug.  25/62.  .  Red.  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  disc.  June  3,  '63. 

MUSICIANS 

.Bowdoin    Aug.  2 5/62.. M.  o. 

.Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  prin.  mus.  Feb.  12/64,  wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 
PRIVATES 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Bolivar,  Va.,  Oct.  20,  '62. 

.Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.,  1st.  sergt.,  and  2d.  lieut.  Co.  D. 
.Bowdoinham  ..Aug.  25/62.. Pr.  sergt.  disch.  Sept.  10,  '64,  pr.  capt.  co.  B., 
41st    U.  S.  C.  T. 

.Monmouth Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1,  '63. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  while  on  picket,  Nov.  5,  '64,  m.  o. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  killed,  North  Anna. 

.Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  died  of  wounds,  June  5,  '64. 

.Bowdoin    Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  batt.  B.  1st.  R.  I.  arty.  pr.  corp.  m.  o. 

.W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  sergt.,  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.Leeds Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1,  '63. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .  Disc.  Feb.  12,  '63. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .Killed  on  picket,  Oct.  22,  '64. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Morton's  Ford,  m.  o. 

.W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  July  30,  '63. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  ambulance  corps.,  m.  o. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  pr.  corp.  m.  o. 

.W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Dec.  2,  '63. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .On  det.  serv.  in  arty.  brig.  m.  o. 

.Lewiston    Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  and  1st.  sergt.,  killed,  Wilderness. 

.Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  15,  '63. 
.Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Oct.  5,  '62,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.. Died,  June  5,  '63. 

.Bowdoinham  ..Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 
.W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.Hallowell Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  16,  '63. 

.Richmond Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.Augusta  .....  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.Leeds Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  Spottsylvania,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 

.Bowdoinham  ..Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.Bowdoinham  ..Aug.  25/62.  .Captured  July   20,    '63,   disch.  June  12,  '65. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62..M.  o. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62..  Pris.    Jerusalem    Plank   Road,    died    Anderson- 

ville,  Jan.  11,  '65. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .  Disc.  Dec.  27,  '63. 

.W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.Brunswick  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  red.  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  1,  '64. 
.Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  9,  '63. 
.Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62.. Disc.  Apr.  10,  '63. 
.Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62..Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 

.Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .Admitted  to  Insane  asylum  Wash..,  D.  C.  Oct. 

19,  '63,  where  he  died  later. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.Wales Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  provost  guard,  m.  o. 

.Topsham Aug.  25/62.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

.Hallowell Aug.  25/62..Tr.  V.  R.  C.  May  29,  '63. 

.Bowdoinham  ..Aug.  25/62.. Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.  red.  at  own  request,  m.  o. 
.Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  died  Dec.  1,  '62. 
.Leeds Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  at  m.  o. 


.  .26. 
.  .19. 
.  .22. 
..25. 
27. 
....34. 

18. 

....18. 
.21. 
.27. 
.23. 
43. 
30. 

2  1  . 
is 


. . .28. 
...22. 
.. .19. 
...18. 
.  .  .22. 
. . .19. 
.18. 


.  .20. 
. . .20. 
.  .  .42. 
...35. 
. . .20. 

..31. 


336 

THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

NAME 

Lake,  Henry  H.  .  .  . 
Leavett,  Frank  M.  . 
Maxwell,  Rufus  S.  . 
Nir.kerson.  William 

AGE     RESIDENCE       MUSTERED  INTO                     REMARKS 
U.  S.  SERVICE 
...21..  Lewiston    Aug.  25/62..  Tr.  to  4,  U.  S.  arty.,  Oct.  21, 
.  .  .24.  .Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  May  12,  '65. 
...  19.  .  Bowdoin    Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Totopotomoy,  abs.  at  m. 
L  .18.  .ToDsham.  .       .  .Aug.  2  5.  '62.  .  Hoso.  attendant.  rei?tl    hdnrs 

63. 

o. 

m 

Palmer,  Thomas  L 21.  .Hallowell Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  guard  at  hdqrs.  m.  o. 

Perry,  George  S 19.  .Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o.       . 

Plummer,  Augustus  B.  20.  .W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disch.  for  pr.  regular  army,  Oct.  6,  '64. 


.Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  provost  guard  hdqrs.  m.  o. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  20,  '64. 


Potter,  Roscoe  H 21.  .W.  Gardiner 

Powers,  Tames  W 26.  .Litchfield 

Priest,  Wilbur  F 24.  .China Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Feb.  3,  '63 

Richards,  John 37.  .Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 

Richardson,  Lorenzo  M  19.  .Litchfield 

Ridley,  Thomas  R 

Rose,  Thomas  S. .  . 

Shorey,  William  H. 

Small,  William  S. 

Smith,  John  Day  . 


Smith,  Horace  L.  .  .  . 

Smith,  Samuel 

Spear,  Alvin 

Spear,  Franklin 

Spear,  Richard  H.  .  . 


.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Petersburg,  died  Apr.  13,  '65. 
.  .23.  .Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  May  17,  '64. 

.  .22.  .Greene Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

. .  19.  .Monmouth  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  July  4,  '63. 

.  .24.  .Wales Aug.  25,  62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Mch.  4,  '64. 

.  .  18.  .Litchfield Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  Gettysburg  det.  color-guard,    wd. 

Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  disc.  Apr.  16,  '65.  . 

.  .22.  .Litchfield Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  6,  '63. 

.  .28.  .Litchfield Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

.  .18.  .W.  Gardiner    .  .Aug.  25/62..  Det.  as  guard  at  hdqrs.  m.  o. 

.  .18.  .W.  Gardiner    ..Aug.  25/62. .  Died,  Feb.  4,  '63. 

.  .27 .  .W.  Gardiner    ..Aug.  25/62..  Pr.    corp.    and    sergt. 

Road. 


killed,    Jerusalem    Plank 


Hallowell 
Bowdoin 


.Aug.  25/62..  Disch.  June  6,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.,  Mch.  3,  '63. 


Bowdoinham  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Dec.  24,  '62. 


Stackpole,  William  R.    19. 
Starbird,  Alonzo  R.  .  .  .23. 

Stevens,  Hicks  V 21. 

Stevens,  James  0 24.  .Litchfield Aug.  25/62.  .Captured   July  20,   .63,  by  guerrillas  while  on 

march  from   Manassas   Gap  to    White  Pla:ns 

died,  Libby  Pr.son,  Feb.  27,  '64. 

Thompson^  Leandef'C.  38.  .Monmouth 

Tobey,  Joseph  H 21 .  .Somerville. 

Tozier,  William  A 44.  .Monmouth Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Jan.  16,  '63. 

Turner,  Anson 21 .  .Gardiner    Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 

Ward   George 41 .  .Bowdoin    Aug.  25/62.  .Disc,.  Mch.  5,  '63. 

Wentworth,  Rueben  A.  30.  .Hallowell Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  red.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Aug.  8,  '64. 

White,  Edward  P 19.  .Monmouth  ...  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.    North    Anna    and    High    Bridge,    disch. 

July  26/65. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.,  Dec.  27.  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Sept.  25,  '63. 


Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  May  27,  '63. 

Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R. 


C. 


White,  George  0 23.  .Hallowell  .  . 

Work,  Joseph  P 22 .. Topsham .  .  . 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 


Babcock.  Augustine    .  .  23  .  .  Belfast. .  . 
.18.  .Belfast..  . 


Baker,  Thomas  A. 
Briggs,  Justus  C... 

Byron,  Owen 
Clifford,  Charles  T 
Clark,  Charles  F... 
Cole,  William 


.19.  .Turner.  .. 

.25.  .Ellsworth 
.  21 .  .Augusta  . 
.22  .  .Bangor  .  . 
.21..  Deer  Isle 


Collins,  Lora  H 19 .  .Lewiston 

Curtis,  Phineas  .... 
Durgin,  Alonzo  A.  . 

Gage,  Fred 

Gloid,  William  M..  . 
Harvey,  Albert  .  .  . 
Hefferan,  Thomas.  . 

Higgins,  Dennis  .  .  . 
Howard,  William  .  . 
Jackson,  Thomas  J. 
Jerald,  Walter  .... 


.21..  Swanville 
.  .  43 .  .  Bowdoinham 
.  .  18.  .Augusta  .  . 

.  .21.  .Belfast 

.  .24.  .Swanville  . 
.  .27.  .Portland  . 

.  .27.  .Portland  . 
.  .22  .  .  Bangor  .  . . 
.  .20.  .Thomaston 
.  .23.  .Lewiston  . 


.18.  .Portland 
.26.  .Portland 
.19.  .Lewiston 
.27..  Lewiston 
.19.  .W.  Bath  . 
.24.  .Portland 
.20.  .Lewiston 

PeTrington; Charles  W/ 1 1\  iwTath  ! 
Pinkham,  Levi 20.  .  Belfast.  .  . 


Johnson,  Roscoe  . . 
Johnston  William  . . 

King,  Michael 

Layois,  Maxim  .... 
Lemont,  W.  Henry. 
McCabe,  James  .  .  . 

Morris,  George 

Murphy,  Timothy...  .. 
-•—   ^u-rles  W. 


.  .  .  .Aug.     9/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .  .Sept.  18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilde -ness,  also  wd.  and  pris.  at  Straw 
berry  Plains,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

...  .Mch.  10/64.  .Pris.    Jerusalem    Plank    Road,    died    Anderson- 
ville,  Aug.  8,  '64. 

Feb.     3/65..  Disch.  July  11,  '65. 

.  .  .  .July    15/63.  .Cons.  abs.  sick  at  m.  o.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .  .Sept.  22/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Dec.   31/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .  .  .Aug.   10/63.  .Cons,  disc.,  Dec.  8,  '63. 
.  .  ..Feb.     2/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

..Jan.    13, |64..  Disc.,  Apr.  26,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  16/64.  .No  record  found. 

.  .Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.,  died  Nov.  17,  '63. 

.  .Feb.      1/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

..Aug.     4/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Jerusalem    Plank   Road,   disc.   Jan.  6 
'65. 

.  .Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .July    18/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

. .  Aug.  12/63.  .  Abs.  sick  at  m.  o.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

..Aug.     8/63.. Cons.  pr.  corp.  and  sergt.  wd.  Bristoe   Station 
and  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.  19/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.  19/63.  .Cons.  des.  to  enemy  while  on  picket  Sept.  18/63. 

.  .Mch.  10/64.  .Wd.  Spottsylvania,  disc.  July  16,  '64. 

.  .Mch.  23/64.  .Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

..Jan.    12/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.  19/63.  .Cons.  des.  Nov.  8,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.   12/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  Jan.    12/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

..Aug.     8/63.  .Cons  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


ROSTER 


337 


NAME 


AGE     RESIDENCE 


Pritchard   John  

20.  .Belfast  

Ricker,  Leonard  B.  . 
Rose,  Morrill    

..22.  .Belfast  
.  .32.  .Augusta  

Smith,  Hubbard  C... 
Spinney   Archie 

,  .28.  .Augusta  
28      Belfast 

Stone,  Marcus  M. 
Strange,  William. 

..21..  Lewiston    
.  .29.  .Belfast  

Sweeney   Patrick  . 

Tenney,  Dexter  B. 
Vinal,  Robert  A..  . 
Wade,  Charles  H. 
Wheeler,  James  T. 


.30.  .Lewiston    . 


.Belfast 

.Belfast.  .  .  . 
.Augusta  .  . 
.Augusta  .  . 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.  .Aug.  26/63.  .Cons,  died,  Apr.  19,  '64. 
.  .Sept.     5, '63.. Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station  and  died  a  prisoner 

Nov.  5,  '64. 

.  .July   21/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.,  Dec.  10,  '64. 
.  .July    18/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Dec.  14,  '64. 

Sept.    2/63.  .Cons.  abs.  sick  during  serv.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  abs.  sick,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Sept.  11/63.  .Cons.   wd.  Bristoe  Station,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  June  15, 

'64. 
..Aug.  10/63.. Cons.     pris.     Spottsylvania,     died,     Anderson- 

ville,  Aug.  27,  '64. 

.  .Sept.    2/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .Sept.     3/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Apr.  12,  '64. 
.  .July   21/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Sept.  10/63.  .Disch.  June  14,  '65. 


SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT  JUNE  15,  1864. 

Armstrong,  Philip  R.    .  18.  .Belmont Aug.  27/63.  .Cons.  pris.  while  on  picket,  Nov.  5,  '64,  tr.  1st 

H.  A. 

Barrett,  Frank  A 20.  .Canaan July   30/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Bray,  Patrick 20.  .Lewiston    Aug.  26/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,   tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Crowley,  George  A.   .  .  .21 .  .Topsham Aug.  28/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Culombe,  Frederick  ...21..  Lincolnville  .  . .  Jan.      1/64.  .  Vet.  wd.  and  pris.  Strawberry  Plains,  tr.  1st.  H.A 

Curtis,  Frank  A 20.  .Bangor Aug.  10/63.  .Cons.  pr.  corp.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Frohock,  Thomas  L.  .  .34.  .Belfast Mch.  15/64.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  May  5,  disc.  Jan.  20,  '65. 

Hustus,  Daniel 46.  .Unity Dec.   22/63.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Jones,  Freeman 30.  .Washington  .  .  .Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  Ist.H.  A. 

Jordan,  Isaac 32. .Monroe Aug..  12/62.  .  Pris.   Jerusalem   Plank  Road,    died,   Anderson- 

ville,  Feb.  6,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  29/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.  28/63.  .Cons,  disch.  June  8,  '65. 

..Feb.   26/64.  .Mortally  wd.  Totopotomoy,  died,  June  17,  '64.. 

.  .Aug.  28/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Ft.  Haskell,  Nov.  30,  '64,  died  in  pris. 
Millen,  Ga. 


Marsden,  George  O.  .  .  .32  .  .Portland 
McCarrick,  Franklin.  .  .20.  .Calais.  .  . 

Mixer,  Joel 36.  .Knox    .  . 

Morse,  Hezekiah  D.  .  .  .37 .  .Poland. . 


.20.  .Canaan  .......  July    31/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Willderness,  disc.,  Jan.  26,  '65. 

64.  .Vet.  wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  Ist.H.  A. 


July    31/ 

ton  .  .  .Jan.      1/ 

July   29/ 


Nutting,  Josiah 

Overlock,  Warren    ...  .23  .  .Washington 

Rideout,  Thomas 22.  .Belfast July   29/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Ricker,  Ivory 18.  .Monroe Aug.  28/63.. Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Rollins,  Edward 27.  .Brooks Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.  Wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Dec.  20,  '64. 

Rowe,  William  C 28.. Brooks Sept.    4/62.. Pr.   corp.    wd.    Gettysburg,  pris.    Ft.    Haskell, 

Nov.  5,  '64,  disch.,  June  12,  '65. 

Russ,  Robert  F 22..  Belfast Aug.   18/63.  .Tr.  fr.  co.  C.  sub.,  wd.  Apr.  28, '64,  tr  V   R   C 

Stickney,  Amos 18.  .Swanville Dec.    ll/63..Tr.  Ist.H.  A. 

Thompson,  Chas.  H.  Jr  27.  .Winterport    .  .  .Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
Washburn,  Horatio  U.   19.  .Bangor Aug.  17 ,'63.. Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  11,  '64. 


Webb,  Edward 45  ..  Brooks 

Wheaton,  Luther 21 .  .Greenbush 


..Jan.      4/64.  .Disc.  Mch.  10,  '65. 

.  .Sept.    2/63.  .Cons,  never  joined  co.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


Whitney,  Joshua  B.    .  .  19.  .Greenbush  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Wood,  Charles  A 18.  .Belfast Jan.      1/64..  Vet.  pris.  JerusalemPlankRoad.tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY  IN 

NOVEMBER  1864 

5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64..  Disc.  Jan.  26,  '65. 


Cunningham,  James  H.18.  .  W.  Gardiner    .  .Oct 
Turner,  James    .......  27.  .Readfield  .....  Oct. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED 

Loring  Farr    28.  .Manchester   . 

William  T.  C.  Wescott  21 .  .Augusta 

George  A.  Barton  ...  .22  .  .Augusta 
William  O.  Tibbetts  .  .25.  .Augusta 
Albert  N.  Williams  . .  .24.  .Augusta 

Benjamin  H .  Wescott  .31..  Augusta  .... 
Albert  H.  Packard  ...  30.  .Augusta  .... 

Walter  Jordan   32.  .Chesterville.  . 

William  P.  Worthing    .  19 .  .China 

Orrin  P.  Smart 28.  .Augusta  .... 

Thomas  H.  Kimball  .  .23.  .Augusta  .... 
Edward  H.  Hicks  ...  .31 .  .Augusta  .... 
George  L.  Perkins  .  .  .  32  .  .  New  Sharon 


COMPANY   G. 
AND  JOINED  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 

SERGEANTS 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  1st.  sergt.,  disc.  July  28,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  2d.  lieut. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc,  for  promotion,  Mch.  14/64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  July  3,  '63. 

CORPORALS 

..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Oct.  30,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  disch.  for  pr.  Mch.  21,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.,  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  disc.  Dec.  31,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  corp.,  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank 

Road,  m.o. 

..Aug.  2  5/62..  Disc.  Feb.  8,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  23,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 


338 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


Asel  B.  Dorsett    43.  .Chesterville. 

Hampton  W.  Leighton  18.  .Augusta.  .  .  . 

George  A.  Hussey   ....  18.  .Augusta  .  .  . 


Andrews,  George  W.  .  .27. 
Barter,  Gilmore  T.    ...21. 


NAME  AGE     RESIDENCE       MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

MUSICIANS 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Served  as  priv.,  wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V   R  C 

WAGONER  « 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Served  as  priv.,  wd.  Gettysburg,  disch.  June  26, 

PRIVATES 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  missg.  Gettysburg,  supposed  dead. 
..  .Aug.  25/62..Wd.  Frederickburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1,  '63 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Apr.  27,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Jan.  15,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  23,  '64. 
,  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.  Gettysbrug,  died  July  10,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.,  killed  Wilderness. 
.  .  .  Aug.  25/62 .  .  Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  11,  '63. 
,  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
...Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  18, '63 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  May  5,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Reams'  Station. 
..  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  22,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  5,  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  23,  '64. 
.  .  .  Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness  disc.  Dec.  17,  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Apr.  10,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  10,  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  serv.  m.  o. 
,  .  .Aug.  25/62  .  .  Det.  serv.  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  9,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

,  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Fredericksburg,  disc.  Apr.  10,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  4,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  orderly  1st  brig,  hdqrs.  m.  o. 
..Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  2,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  RoaJ, 
disch.  June  12,  '65. 

Jackson,  Charles  H.  .  .  .20.  .China Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  disch.  June  12,  '65. 

Jones,  Amos 32.  .China Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disch  June  3,  '65. 

Jones,  Israel  D 21 .  .China Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Haymarket,  Va.,  June  25.  '63. 

Keating,  Stephen 27.  .Augusta Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Jan.  12,  '63. 

Keen,  George  W 27.  .Windsor Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

Lane,  Nathaniel 31 .  .Augusta Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Wilderness. 

Lee,  Edwin  D 33.  .China Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Nov.  15,  '64. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  1st  sergt.  m.  o. 
.  .Sept.    2/62.  .  Pris.  Bristoe  Station,  exchanged  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 

Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died  Andersqnville, 
Sept.  12,  '64,  date  of  death  also  reptd.  Nov.  22  . 
..  .Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Feb.  5,  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  M.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Reptd.  des.  July  2,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Died  Dec.  14,  '62. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  17,  '63. 

.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness, disc.  Jan.  14/65. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Boydton  Road,  abs.  at  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pris.  Reams'  Station  paroled,  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Sept.  22,  '63, 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
...Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  13/63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  die^ 

David's  Island,  N.  Y.  Harbor,  July  22,  '64. 

Augusta Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.China Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 


Brov/n,  Joseph  L 30. 

Burrill,  John 35. 

Call,  Albert 31. 

Carpenter,  Thomas  E.    33  . 

Carroll,  Charles  J 18. 

Chapman,  George  W..  .  22  . 
Chadwick,  Judah  A....42. 

Clark,  Thomas  F 33. 

Cowan,  John  F 19 . 

Cunningham,  Uriah.  .  .   25  . 

Dain,  Andrew  J 25  . 

Dockendorf,  James  W..20. 

Doe,  George  F 32. 

Dow,  George  L 26. 

Dunton,  Yeaton 24 

Fuller,  George  S 32. 

Gardiner,  George  H..  .  .19. 

Gill,  Elijah 23. 

Grady,  William  0 18. 

Hallowell,  John  Jr 42. 

Harlow,  Warren  C 25  . 

Haskell,  Abner 24. 

Haskell,  Alfred 31. 

Haskell,  Joseph  H 19. 

Haskell,  Oscar  H 25. 

Haskell,  William  A.  .  .  .28. 

Holmes,  Horace 27  . 

Hyson,  Ira  B 21. 

Hyson.  Jeremy  D 22. 

Jackman,  William  C.  .  .43. 
Jackman,  William  H.. .  18. 


.Augusta  .  .  . 
.Augusta  .  .  . 
.  Augusta  .  .  . 

.China 

.Augusta  . . . 

.  China 

.Windsor 

.Windsor. . .  . 
.Augusta. . .  . 

.China 

.Palermo. .  .  . 
.  Augusta 
.Chesterville. 
.Windsor. . .  . 
.  Windsor  .  .  . 

.China 

.Windsor. . .  . 
.Chesterville. 
.  Vassalboro. 
.Chesterville. 
.Augusta. .  .  . 
.Windsor.  .  .  . 
.Augusta.  .  .  . 
.Augusta. .  .  . 
.Augusta. .  .  . 

.China 

.China 

.Augusta. . .  . 
.Chesterville. 
.Windsor.  . .  . 

.Windsor 

.  Mt.  Vernon  . 
.Mt.  Vernon. 


Littlefield,  Ruel 18. 

Lord,  Amasa 28. 

Mahoney,  Daniel 18. 

Marston,  Benjamin  R.   36. 
Marston,  Alfred  J 18. 

Mayers,  James  H 20. 

McKenney,  Stephen  P.  32  . 

Merrill,  Abram 38  . 

Merrill,  Appleton 23  . 

Merrill,  George  W 20 . 

Merrill,  William  G 29  . 

Moody,  Benjamin  H.    .25. 

Moody,  Isaac 36. 

Moulton,  Lewis  A 18. 

Murphy,  William 18. 

Murray,  Winthrop 38 . 

Nash,  Joseph  B 19. 

Nelson,  Charles  H 37. 

Nelson,  Erastus  F 37  . 

Powers,  Charles  R 29  . 

Rideout,  Thomas  B..  .  .21. 
Robbins,  Franklin  D..  .21 . 


Augusta.  .  .  . 

.  Augusta ... 

.Augusta. .  .  . 

.Augusta.  .  . 

.Augusta Aug.  25/62 


.Dresden.  .  .  . 
.Augusta. .  .  . 
.Windsor.  .  .  . 
.Windsor.  .  .  . 
.Windsor.  .  .  . 
.Augusta.  .  .  . 
.Windsor.  .  .  . 
.Augusta. .  .  . 
.  Chesterville . 
.Augusta. .  .  . 

.China 

.  Nobleboro .  . 

.China 

.China 

.Augusta. .  .  . 


ROSTER 


339 


NAME  AGE     RESIDENCE     MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 
..Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 
..Aug.  25,'62..M.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  com-sergt.  and  2d  lieut. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg  and   Spottsylvania.  disch.  May 

22,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Inhosp.  since  Sept.  5,,  '63,  disch.  June  8,  '65. 
..Aug.  25/62.. Died,  Frederick  City  Md.  Oct.  15,  '62. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Apr.  23,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o* 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
..Aug.  25/62..Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  15,  '63.. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  2,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Reptd.  des.  June  25,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Reptd.  des.  June  '63,  disch.  May  23,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  18,  '63. 


Robbins,  John  L 25.  .  China 

Robbins,  Philip  M 18.  .Chesterville. 

Rogers,  Henry  A 18.  .China 

Sewall,  Henry 39.  .Augusta. .  .  . 

Small,  William  B 18.  .Augusta. .  .  . 

Smith,  Augustus  C 42.  .Augusta. .  .  . 

Smith,  Charles  F 18.  .Augusta.  .  .  . 

Smith,  Charles  R 21 .  .Chesterville. 

Smith,  George  A 19  ..  Vienna 

Stewart,  Joseph  A 19 .  .Windsor. . .  . 

Sylvester,  Alvin 39  .  .China 

Tobey,  William  B 19.  .China 

Trask,  Lauriston  G.  .  .  .22 .  .Augusta.  .  .  . 

Tyler,  Elias 21 .  .China 

Warren,  Edwin  A 29.  .Vassalboro.  . 

Webber,  Oliver  P 24.  .Augusta 

Whittier,  Marden 19.  .Chesterville. 

Whitney,  Joseph 24.  .Augusta.  .  .  . 

Wing,  Stephen 21..  Augusta .... 

Worthley,  Philander  E.18.  .Augusta. .  .  . 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 


Ballard,  James 30 . 


Belfast Dec.    10/63. .  Pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died  Andersonville , 

Oct.  11,  '64,  erroneously  reptd.  des. 

Portland Aug.   14/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Bangor Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

o. 


Brown,  William 29 

Bridges,  Orrin 44 

Cain,  Daniel 32.  .Portland July    14/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A.,  abs.  at  m 

Carmody,  Cornelius.  ..  .39 .  .Bangor Sept.  16/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Cross,  Atwell  J 18.  .Vassalboro Aug.  31/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Jan.  27,  '64. 

Crosby,  Henry 33.  .Hampden Aug.  12/63 

Cummings,  Alonzo. ...  26.  .Bangor Sept.  16/63 


Day,  Philip  W 36.  .Augusta Sept.  15/64. 


.Cons,  died  Feb.  2,  '64. 
.Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
Disch.  June  3,  '65. 


Durgan,  James  H 31.  .Lewiston July    16/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Mch.  18,  '64 

Eastman,  Mellen 42.  .Charleston Aug.  16/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Dec.  4,  '63 

Ellis,  William  B 27  .  .Lewiston Jan. 

Gill,  John  H 27  .  .Chesterville Aug 


13,  '65. 


iana  .  .  — .  .  oept. 

iston July 

July 

ista Mch. 


6/64.  .Abs.  sick,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
13/63.  .Tr.  from  Co.  A.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Dec.  27,  '64. 
.  .July    14/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Bristoe  Statiow,  died  Andersonville, 

Sept.  10,  '64. 
..27.  .China  .........  Aug.  11/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road.tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.  .36.  .Dresden  .......  Jan.    12/64.  .Disc.  Apr.  26,  '64. 

.  .20.  .Washington....  Dec.     3/63.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Jan. 

.  .45.  .Belfast  ........  Dec.    14/63..  Died  Jan.  29,  '64. 

.  .26.  .China  .........  Aug.   11/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Apr.  26,  '64. 

.  .38.  .Portland  .  .  —  .  .Sept.  17/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.28.  .Lewiston  ......  July    16/63..  Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  10,  '64. 

31/63.  .Abs.  sick,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
5/64.  .Tr.  Co.  B  as  musician. 
8/64.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
14/64.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  10,  '64. 
28/61.  .Killed  on  picket,  Oct.  5,  '64. 
.  .21  .  .Portland  ......  July    10/63.  .Cons.  pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

20.  .Augusta  ........  Aug.     4/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Dec.  17,  '63. 

4/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
July    17/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Mch.  1,  '65. 
.Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  abs.  wd.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.....  Sept.  15/63.  .Cons.  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  23,  '64. 

.  .  .  .Aug.      7/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .  .  .Aug!    14/63.  .Cons.  abs.  sick  during  term  of  serv.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

____  Dec.     30/63.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.....  Aug.     5/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Dec.  7,  '63. 

.....  Jan.      6/64.  .Pris.  Reams'  Station,  disc.  May  18,  '65. 


Hammond,  James 23.  .Portland 

Hanson,  Daniel  B.. . 

Hatch,  William 

Howard,  Elijah  .... 

Kurd,  John  O 

Hysom,  John  F 

Knights,  Nathaniel. 
Labree,  Rinaldo  A.  . 
Leighton,  Alexander  R.25.  .Alna 
Marston,  Charles  L.  ...  18.  .  Augu 

McLain,  David 23.  .St.  John,  N.  B..Feb. 

Moore,  Abijah  C 30.  .No.  5,  R.  3 Aug. 

Potter,  Benson 30.  .Elmira Feb. 

Randall,  Albert  N 
Rowe,  William  G. . 

Shortwell,  James 21 .  .Augusta Aug. 

Small,  William  H.  H..  .  22  .  .Lewiston  . . 

Smith,  Elisha  P 40.  .Chester. . . . 

Spencer,  James  S 26 ..  Bangor. . .  . 

Taylor,  Slyvester 33.  .Belfast  .  .  . 

Towle,  Jeremiah    32  ..  Enfield  .  .  . 

Tobian,  Roswell 21..  Belfast  .  .  . 

Wilson,  Adolphus  P. ...  19  ..  Lewiston 
Young,  Zelia  W 20.  .Knox  . . . 


SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT,  JUNE  15,  1864. 

Allum,  Richard 40.  .  Bangor Aug.  24/63.  .Cons.  tr.  from  Co.  A,  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank 

Road,  tr.  to  1st  H.  A. 

.Cons.  tr.  from  Co.  A,  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.A 

.Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

.  Pris.  Gettysburg,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

,  Wd.  Groveton  Aug.  29/62  and  Spottsylvania. 

.Vet.  tr.  1st  H.A. 

.Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
Cunningham,  Addison  .  19.  .Washington. .  .  .Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 


Biker,  George  
Brown,  William  L.  .  . 
Blinn,  Bradford  H..  . 
Carlton,  John  B  

.  .18.  .Glenburn.  .  . 
.  .  19.  .Searsmont.  . 
.  .20.  .Wiscasset  
..21..  Woolwich  .  .  . 

...Sept.     1/63..  Cons 
.  .  .Aug.  20/63.  .Cons 
.  .  .Mch.  10/62..  Pris. 
Mch    10/62     Wd 

Call,  Timothy  
Colby,  Eben  E  

.  .24.  .Dresden.  .  .  . 
..19.  .Liberty  

...Jan.      1/64..  Vet. 
.  .Aug.  22/63..  Cons 

340 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


Dailey,  Jz 

s,  James  B 


James 

Davis,  James  _  .  . . 
Danforth,  George  O 
Davis,  Henry  C.. . 
Estler,  William  W 

Hunter,  Hugh 

Jones,  Leonard 

Light,  Elwell 

Lee,  Peter 

McCarrison,  Thos.  J 
McMahan,  Edward  . 

Nelson,  Joseph 

Pinkham,  Thos.  F.  . 
Quimby,  Albert.  .  .  . 
Stewart,  Nathaniel  . 
Stewart,  Thomas.  .  . 
Smith,  Barnard  W.. 
Taylor,  Eugene  A.. . 

Wilbur,  George 

Wood,  George  P...  . 


NAME  AGE       RESIDENCE       MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.  .22.  .Portland Sept.     1/63.  .Cons.  tr.  from  Co.  A,  tr.  to  1st  H.  A. 

.  .20.  .Lewiston Aug.  27, '63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

. .  .21.  .Freedom Aug.  27, '63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Mch.  1,  '65. 

.  .  18.  .Portland Aug.  24/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Strawberry  Plains 

...21.  .Readfield Aug.     8/63.  .Cons.  Wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

..  3 1 ..  Lewiston Aug.  26/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H   A 

.  .24.  .Washington.       M~-    °*  1<1     ^ j:~u    n*_u  ,«    -.r 

.  .25.  .Washington. 

.  .35.  .Lewiston  .. . 
...  18.  .Knox 

.  .19.  .Belfast 

.  .40.  .Washington. 
. 18. .Alna 


Nov.  26/61.. Corp.  disch.  Mch. 18,  '65. 

.Nov.  26/61.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Aug.  27/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Jan.      6/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  disch.  Jan.  14/65. 

.Aug.  24/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.Nov.  26/61.  .Killed  on  picket,  Oct.  16,  '64. 

.June  15/61.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 
.  .30.  .  Waldoboro  .  .  .  .Mch.  10/62.  .  Pris.  Reams'  Station,  died  a  prisoner  of  war 

.24.  .Dresden Mch.     6/62..  Disch.  Mch.  10,  '65,  term  exp. 

.18.  .Dresden Mch.  10,  '62    Disch.  Mch.  10,  '65,  term  exp. 

.24.  .Wiscasset Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

.21.  .Gardiner Aug.  26/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Dec.  8,  '64. 

.20.  .Lewiston Aug.  27/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disch  June  10   '65 

.19.  .Penobscot Oct.    29/64.  .  Pr.  2d  and  1st  lieut. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY  IN 

NOVEMBER  1864. 

Andrews,  Gardiner  B..  .22.  .Anson Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Cluer,  Benjamin 44.  .Norridgewock.  .Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Currier,  John  M 20.  .Anson Oct.      5/64..  Wd.  Nov.  18,  '64,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Hutchinson,  James  M.    18..  Anson Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Lane,  Daniel... If 29.. Anson Oct.      5/64.. Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Longley,  Albert 18.  .Norridgewock.  .Oct.      5/64.  .Wd.  Nov.  6,  '64,  tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Parlin,  Franklin 18.  .Anson Oct.      5/64..  Tr.  1st  H.  A. 

Rowe,  Albert  S 19.  .Anson Oct. 


Russell,  Joel  S. 


.36.  .Anson. . .          .  .Oct. 


5/64.  .  Mortally  wd.  near  Ft.  Haskell,  Oct.  22,  died 

Nov.  25,  '64. 
5/64..  Disch.  June  8,  '65. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED 


Stephen  R.  Gordon.  . 
Jesse  A.  Dorman 
Charles  P.  Garland  . . 
John  F.  Stackpole     . 
George  E.  Webber  .  . 

Stephen  A.  Abbott  . . 
Francis  P.  Furber  . . 

Samuel  S.  Holbrook  . 
George  F.  Hopkins  . . 

Hollis  F.  Arnold 

James  T.  Waldron  .  . 
George  H.  Willey  .  .  . 
Alfred  T.  Dunbar  . . . 

Henry  B.  Washburn 
William  G.  Stratton 

Abbott,  Albert  A..  .  . 
Abbott,  Daniel  B.. . . 

Adams,  Benjamin.  .  . 
Broo kings,  Samuel  C. 
Burrill,  Charles  E.... 

Carr,  Rinaldo  A 

Clark,  John  S 

Collins,  Alphonzo  C.  . 

Coro,  Joseph 

Dodge,  Martin  V.  B.. 
Edgerly,  Richard.... 

Estes,  John  H 

Estes,  Redford  M 

Fairbrother,  Isaac  W. 


.  .30.  .Clinton 

..24.  .Canaan.... 
..21.  .Winslow... 

..35.  .Albion 

.  .  21 .  .Gardiner. . . 

..21.  .Winslow... 
.  .37.  .Clinton.... 

.27.  .Athens.  .  .  . 

..23.  .Albion 

.  .23.  .Palermo... 
. .22.  .Canaan.... 

.  .20.  .Clinton 

.  .18.  .Winslow... 

..32.  .China 

.  .36.  .Albion 

.  .21.  .Winslow. . . 
..27..  Winslow... 

.  ,27..Vassalboro. 
.  .21.  .Pittston. . . 
. .21.. Canaan.... 
.  .21.  .Palermo. . . 
..35.  .Gardiner.. 
..18.. Chelsea.... 

.  .21.  .China 

..23.  .Palermo... 
.  .23.  .  Bowdoin. . . 
.  .19..Vassalboro. 
.  .21.  .Vassalboro. 
.21.  .China.  . 


COMPANY    H. 
AND  JOINED  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 

SERGEANTS 
.Aug.  25/62..Pr.  2  d  lieut. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Mortally  wounded  Gettysburg,  died  July  6,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  2d  and  1st  lieut. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  1st  sergt.  killed,  Gettysburg. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Mortally  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  7,  '63. 

CORPORALS 

.Aug.  25, '62..  Disc.  Jan.  16, '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  1st  sergt.,  wd. 

Wilderness,  abs.  at  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Oct.  6, '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Feb.  20,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died  Apr.  9,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 
.Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Wilderness,  absent  at  m.  o. 

MUSICIAN 
.Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

WAGONER 
,Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

PRIVATES 

,Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  17, '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.. Wd.   Gettysburg  and    Wilderness,    tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Aug.  10,  '64. 

.Aug.  25/62..  Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Dec.  5,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  killed  Gettysburg. 
.Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc,  for  wds.  Jan.  23,  '64. 
.Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Absent  sick  at  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 
Aug.  25/62..  Des.  Aug.  27,  '62  on  way  to  Washington. 
Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  supposed  to  have  died. 
Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Oct.  1,  '63. 


ROSTER 


341 


NAME 

Farnham,  Albert  P.  . . 

Foye,  Arnold  L 

Gerald,  William  F.  . .  . 

Goodridge,  Drew 

Hamlen,  Charles  L 

Handy,  Eben 

Hodgdon,  Isaac  C.  . .  . 
Hopkins,  Lewis  E.  .  .  . 

James,  Charles  H 

James,  Josephus 

Jewell,  Joseph 

Jewell,  William 

Jewett,  Henry  S 

Kimball,  George  H.  .  . 
Leonard,  William 
Libbey,  Charles  H.  . . . 

Marson,  Alden 

Martin,  Reuben  D.  .  . . 
McKinney  Fairneld  S. 
McKinney,  James  M. 
Merrill,  Sumner 

Merrow,  Thomas  W.  . 
Murphy,  Hamlen  H.  . 

Nado,  Joseoh 

Noyes,  William  H  .  . 
Page,  John  E.  .  . 
Page,  Isaac  L.  .  . 
Page,  Reuben  H. 
Parmenter,  Allen 
Patterson,  Henry  L..  , 
Perkins,  George  M..  .  , 

Philips,  James    

Prescott,  Charles 

Ramsdell,  Charles  E. 

Reed,  Jesse 

Richards,  Elmerin  W. 
Richardson,  Luke  T.  . 
Seavey,  James  O. 

Small,  James  L 

Stinson,  Orrin  F 

Tarr,  John  W 

Taylor,  William 

Taylor,  Howard  H.  . . 

Trask,  James  O 

Tobey,  Warren  H.  .  .  . 

Tuttle,  Manter 

Tuttle,  Lyman  P.    . . . 

Tyler,  James  M 

Walker,  John  F 

Washburn,  Augustus 

Webber,  John  M 

Webster,  Charles  E.  . 
Wells,  Frederic  L.  ... 
Wheeler,  George  E.  .  . 
Whitten,  Charles  T.  . 
Whitten,  George 

White,  Ivory  D 

Williams,  Nicholas    .  . 

Wilson,  JohnS 

Withee,  Bradley  B.  .  . 

Withee,  John 

Wood,  Albert  O 

Wood,  William  F 

Worthen,  Olney 

Worthen,  Eugene    .  .  . 

Wyman,  James    

Young,  Benjamin    .  .  . 


AGE     RESIDENCE 

.  .  18.  .Albion 

.26.  .Palermo. . .  . 

.19.  .Clinton 

.29.. Canaan 

.26.  .Vassalboro. . 

.41..  Albion 

.29.  .Clinton 

.18..  Albion 

.19.  .Pittston.  .  .  . 
.37.  .Pittston.  .  .  . 

.19. .Canaan 

.21. .Canaan 

.23.  .Westbrook.  . 

.25.. Chelsea 

.28.  .Albion 

.18.  .Albion 

.42.  .Pittston.  .  .  . 

.44. .Canaan 

20.  .Clinton , 

.27.  .Clinton 

.22.  .Winslow  .  .. 


.22.  .Canaan 

.18.  .Friendship  . 

.  44 .  .  Albion    

.25  .  .Gardiner  .  . 
.23.. Chelsea  .... 

.20.  .Chelsea 

.18.  .Chelsea 

.24.. Albion    

.18.  .Augusta  .  .  . 

.19.  .Chelsea 

.20.  .Vassalboro  . 
.18.  .Hartland.  .  . 

.  18.  .Pittston.  . .  . 
.35.  .Gardiner  .  . 
.18.  .Winslow  .  .  . 

.19. .Canaan  

.27..  Boothbay  . . 

.31.  .Pittston 

.26.  .Albion 
.21.  .Pittston.  .  .  . 
.25.  .Winslow  .  .. 
.30.. Winslow  ... 

.21.  .China 

.21.  .Vassalboro  . 
.18.  .Canaan 

.18.  .Athens 

.19.. Albion    

.20.. Winslow  ... 
.22. .Canaan  .... 
.18.  .Gardiner  .  . 

.42.  .Pittston 

.27.  .Pittston.  .  .  . 
.25.. Canaan  .... 

.32.. Albion    

.37.  .Clinton  .... 

.19.  .Canaan 

.43.  .W.  Gardiner 
.34.  .Winslow  ... 

.26.  .Winslow 

.19.. Winslow  .  .  . 
.23  .  .Gardiner  .  . 
.18.  .Winslow  .  .  . 

.22.. Albion    

.20.. Albion  .... 
.  21 .  .Hermon.  .  .  . 
.45.  .Pittston.  .  . 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

..Aug.  25, '62..  Disc.  Jan.  9, '65. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disch.  June  12/65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Feb.  9.  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25, '62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Dec.  5,  '63. 
. .  Aug.  25, '62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
..Aug.  25,'62..M.  o. 
..Aug.  25,'62..M.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disch.  May  10,  '65. 
..Aug.  25/62.. Disc.  Feb.  6, '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Nov.  12,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Jan.  15,  '64. 
..Aug.  25/62.. Tr.  V.  R.  C. 
..Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .  Aug.  2  5  ,'62 .  .  Dropped  from  rolls  by  order  Gen.  Howard. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Reptd.  des.  while  reg.  was  en  route  to  Frederick 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
..Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  teamster,  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Des.  at  Falmouth,  Va.,  Jan.  28,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  1st.  R.  I.  arty.,  nris.  while  on  picket.  Nov. 

5,  '64,  disch.  May"  15,  '65. 
.  .  Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Cold  Harbor,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.. Disc.,  Apr.  10,  '63. 
Feb.  18,  '63. 
Apr.    10,  '63. 


.  .Aug.  25/62. 
..Aug.  25/62. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. 
..Aug.  25/62. 


Jan.  9,  '64. 
Feb.  5,  '63. 


Disc., 

Disc., 

.Disc., 

Disc., 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Apr.  10,  '63. 
,  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/82.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Mch.  15,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.,  Jan.  21,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Pris.   Jerusalem   Plank  Road,   died,   Anderson- 

ville,  Jan.  7,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  Wilderness,  pr.  sergt.,  m.o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Nov.  1,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  pioneer  corps.,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.  disch.,  June  12.  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  disch.  Mch.  2, '65. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Died  at  home,  Dec.  15,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  7,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.,  Feb.  18, '63. 
..Aug.  25/62.. Disc.,  " 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Died, 
..Aug.  25/62.. Des. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  near  Petersburg,  Oct.  24.  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .App't'd.  fifer.  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Oct.  28,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Aug.  27,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Dec.  4,  '62. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  25,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 
.  -Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Mch.  31,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Mch.  5,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..M.  o. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disch.,  May  22,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  of  wds.  rec'd  at  Petersburg,  Nov.  13,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  as  cattle  guard  m.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Hosp.  Sept.  30/62,  died,  date  &  place  unknown. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  corp.,  killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  July  10,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.,  Feb.  6,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  1.  '63. 


.,  reo.  10,    oo. 

.,  Jan.  25,  '63. 

1,  Jan.  25,  '63. 

Feb.  6,  '63. 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 

Allen,  Tenney  M 18.  .Sedgwick Dec.    15/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Basford,  Andrew  J.  ..  .30.  .Waterville Aug.  17/63.. Cons.    wd.    Wilderness,    pris.     Reams'  Station. 

disch..  May  29, '65. 


342 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME              AGE     RESIDENCE 

MUSTERED  INTO                     REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

Babb,  Mark  G  30  ..  Gardiner    .  .  . 

.  .Aug.   10/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Wilderness,  died  Augusta,  Ga.  prison 

July.   '64. 

Baston,  Henry  22.  .C.  Elizabeth 

.  .Aug.  18/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Dec.  16.  '64. 

Bigelow,  Chailes  L.  ...  19.  .St.  Albans.  .  . 

.  .Aug.     6/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Wilderness,  died  Andersonville,  Sept. 

3,  64.               •• 

Brown,  Frank    33  ..  Albion    

..Aug.  15/63..  Sub.  wd.  Bristoe   Station,  Wilderness  and  also 

Oct.  13,  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Brann,  Sanford    28.  .Gardiner    .  .  . 

.  .Aug.   10/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc,  Mch.  21,  '65. 

Bradford  Columbus  G.    18  ..  Patten    

.  .Sept.  21/63.  .Sub.  disc.,  Jan.  18,  '65. 

Bumpus,  Jason    26.  .  No.  5    

.  .  Sept.  21/63..  Cons.  wd.  Bristoe  Station,  disc.  Jan.  1  1  ,  '65. 

Carr   Patrick                    20     Portland 

Mch    17/65     Tr    1st   H   A 

Cayford,  Jackson  34.  .Fairneld  .... 

,  .Aug.   18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  disc.  Oct.  30,  '64. 

Cheesman,  John  W.    .  .32.  .  Whitney  ville 

,  .Jan.    23/65..  Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Corbett,  Lorenzo  D.    .  .  25  .  .  Philips  

.  July   31/63.  .Cons.  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Dillon,  James  18.  .Whitney  ville 

Feb    21  '65     Tr    1st   H   A 

Fairbanks,  Benj.  F.  .  .  .24.  .W.  Gardiner 

.  .Aug.   10/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Ferren,  Elisha  Jr  18.  .Steuben  

.Feb.   21/65.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

French,  Albert  V  25.  .Augusta  

.Aug.     8/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Fuller,  George    19  ..  England  .... 

.  .Apr.   29/64.  .Wd.,  Reams'  Station. 

Foster,  Benj.  W  26  ..  Pittsfield    .  .  . 

.  .Aug.   17/63.  .Cons.  pr.  Corp.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Fields,  Frank  18  ..  Lee  

.  .Sept.     1/63.  .Sub.,  pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Gridley,  Joseph  W  20.  .C.  Elizabeth    . 

.Aug.  17/63.  .Sub.,  wd.  North  Anna,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Gross,  Reuben                  22     Ellsworth 

.Feb       8  '65     Tr    1st    H   A 

Hanson,  John  B  22  ..  Starks  

.  .Sept.  23/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Huntley,  John  21..  Machias  

.Aug.   18/63.  .Sub.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Jewett,  William  H  21  ..  Gardiner    .  .  . 

.  .Aug.     8/63.  .Cons.,  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Judkins,  Marcellus  H      22     Prentiss 

.  .Sept.  18/63.  .Cons.,  disc.,  Jan.  13,  '65. 

Judkins,  Charles  W.    .  .  29  .  .  Prentiss  

.Sept.  18/63.  .Cons.,  wd.  Bristoe  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Kenney   Thomas             41     Ellsworth 

Feb       3  '65     Tr    1st  H   A 

Leavitt,  Benjamin  F.  .  .  21  .  .  Levant  

.  .Aug.  10/63.  .Sub.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Libby,  Daniel  19  ..  Windham  .  .  . 

.  .Aug.  17/63..  Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Morrison,  Theodore  T.   19..  Sherman    ... 

.  .Sept.  18/63.  .Sub.  died,  Dec.  16,  '63,  Stevensburg,  Va. 

Murray,  Thomas    25  ..  East  port    .  .  . 

.  .Sept.  18/63.  .Sub.  died,  Mch.  5,  '64. 

McLaughlin,  John  20.  .Springfield  .  . 
Ober,  William  H  24.  .Ellsworth  .  .  . 

.  .Sept.  21/63.  .Sub.,  died.  Oct.  17.  '64,  at  Washington. 
.  .Feb.     8/65..  Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Over,  Ezra  A  18.  .Steuben  

.Feb.   21/65.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Patterson,  Jacob  25  ..  Gardiner    

,  .Aug.  10/63.  .Cons.,  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  16,  '64. 

Pennel,  Zina  B  18  .  .  Whitney  ville 

.  Jan.    27/65..  Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Pinkham,  Nahum  B.  .  .20.  .Anson  

.  .Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Pollard,  John  H  31..  Hodgdon  

,  .Sept.  16/63..  Sub.  pr.  corp.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  died,  Finley 

hosp.,  Wash.,  May  29,  '64. 

Reed,  Levi  M  18.  .Lee  

.Sept.  18/63.  .Sub.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Rines,  George  A               18     Oldtown 

Sept    17  '63     Sub   disc     Jan    3,  '64 

Runnells,  Benjamin  F.  33.  .Albion    

.Aug.     4/63.  .Cons.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Smiley,  Ellis  25  ..  Winslow    .... 

.Aug.   17/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Jan.  19,  '65. 

Smiley,  Augustine  P.    .21..  Sidney    

.Aug.   10/63.  .Cons,  died,  Stevensburg,  Va.,  Jan.  5,  '64. 

Smith,  George  L  23  .  .  Winthorp  ... 

.Aug.   10/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  pris.  Reams'  Station,  died, 

Annapolis,  Md.  paroled  prisoner,  Oct.  28,  "64. 

Smith,  Frederick  25.  .St.  George.  .  .  . 

.Sept.    7/63.  .Sub.,  reptd.  des.,  Oct.  14,  '63,  probably  prisoner 

at  Bristoe  Station. 

Stoddard,  William  C.    .  22  .  .  Gardiner    

.Aug.  10/63.  .Cons.,  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  16,  '64. 

Stewart,  Charles  H.  .  .  .  28  .  .  Gardiner    .... 

.Aug.  10/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  disch.,  June  5/65. 

Taylor,  Augustus  D..  .  .  19.  .Rumford    .... 

.Feb.   24/64..  Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Tucker  George                25     No   6 

Aug    13  '63     Cons     wd    Bristoe  Station  and    Spottsylvania, 

tr    1st.  H.  A. 

Waters,  Byron  G  18.  .Patten  

.Aug.   19/63.  .Sub.,  wd.  Oct.  13,  '64,  died,  Apr.  28,  '65. 

White,  George    22  ..  Robbinston.  .  . 

.Aug.  12/63   .Sub.,    wd.    Bristoe     Station     and    Wilderness, 

disch.  May  19,  '65. 

Whitney,  Charles  B..  .  .20.  .Lee  

.Aug.  26/63.  .Sub.,  mortally  wd.  North  Anna,  died,  June  17/64 

SOLDIERS  TRANSFERED  TO  COMPANY  FROM   FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT  JUNE  15.  1864 

Allen,  Charles  W  19  ..  Sedgwick  

Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  pr.  coro.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Brackett,  Charles  W.    .  19  .  .  Houlton  

.Nov.     9/61.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  at  m.  o. 

Carter,  Edwin  J  21  .  .Sedgwick  

.  Nov.     9/61..  Disch.  exp.  term. 

Cox,  George    40  ..  Bangor  

.Nov.     9/61.  .  Disch.  exp.  term. 

Clough,  John    20  ..  Bluehill    

.Nov.     9/61  ..  Disc.  exp.  term. 

Downs,  Samuel  N  23.  .Winterport    .  . 

Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  pr.  corp.  wd.  Petersburg,  disc.,  Mch.  16,  "65 

Emeiton,  Andrew  L.  .  .21.  .  Brooksville  .. 

.  .Nov.     9/61  .  .Pris.  Gettysburg,  abs.  sick,  never  joined 

company. 

Eugley,  James  M  24.  .  Jefferson    .... 

June   15/61  ..  Disch.  exp.  term. 

Furbish,  Abram  J  24.  .N.  Vineyard    . 

.Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Heal.  William  1  21  ..  Belmont  

.Dec.      4/63.  .Pris.  while  on  picket,  Nov.  5,  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Jackson,  Joel    28  ..  MontviTle   .... 

.Nov.     9/61.  .Corp.,  wd.  North  Anna,  disc.,  exp.  term. 

ROSTER 


343 


NAME 
Jewell.  John  H.  .  .  . 

AGE 
...21. 

RESIDENCE 
.  Dixmont    .  .  . 

MUSTERED  INTO                     REMARKS 
U.  S.  SERVICE 
.  .Aug.  24/63.  .Cons.,  pris.  Nov.  5.  '64,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Jewell,  George    .  .  . 

.  .  .33. 

.  Dixmont    .  .  . 

.  .Aug.  24/63. 

Cons.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Johnson,  Andrew  . 

...  40  . 

.Stowe  

..Aug.  2 

r/63. 

Cons.,  disch.,  June  5,  '65. 

McMahan,  Daniel 

Mink,  Edward    .  .  . 

.  .  .23. 
.  ..21. 

.  Prospect 
.  Waldoboro  .  . 

!in. 
in. 

,'64. 
,'64. 

Vet.,  died,  Sept.  27,  '64,  buried  City 
Vet.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Point. 

Moore,  Charles  F. 

.  .  .24. 

.  Knox    

in. 

,'64. 

Vet.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Randall,  Andrew.  . 

.  .  .18. 

.Brooks  

in. 

,'64. 

Vet.,  disch.,  May  11,  '65. 

Reed,  Jared  R.  .  .  . 

.  .  .27. 

.Mt.  Desert  .  . 

in. 

.'64. 

Vet.  corp.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Ring,  Cyrus.  L.    .  . 

...20. 

.Casco    

ec.   30/63. 

Pris.    Reams'    Station,    died,    Salisbury    prise  n. 

Dec.  1,  '64. 

Rose,  Charles    .... 

...28. 

.  Bangor  

.  .Nov.     9/61. 

.  Wd.  and  pris.  Gettysburg,  disch.,  exp 

term. 

Sawyer,  Ferdinand 

E..  18. 

.  Knox    

.  .Jan. 

1/64. 

Vet.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Sherman,  Frank  A. 

.  .  .20. 

.  Knox    

.  .Aug.   i; 

J/62. 

Corp.,  wd.  Cold  Harbor,  disc.  Mch.  7 

'65. 

Tripp,  William  H. 

.  .  .18. 

.Sedgwick.  .  .  . 

..Jan. 

1/64. 

.Vet.  sergt.  pr.  2d.  lieut.  co.  H. 

Webster,  John. 

..  .32. 

.  Bluehill    

..Nov.     < 

>/61. 

Mus.,  abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 

Young,  Morrison  .  . 

.  .  .22. 

.  Belmont 

.  .  Jan. 

1/64. 

Vet.,  missing  Apr.  2,  '65. 

SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UN  ASSIGNED  INFANTRY  IN 

NOVEMBER  1864. 

Bush,  James  L 24.  .Clinton Oct.      5/64.  .Corp.,  disch.,  June  5,  '65. 

Groves,  Jonathan    ...  .41 .  .Mercer    Oct.      5/64.  .Sergt.,  pris.  Boydton  Road. 

Merrow,  Shepherd  H..  .  18.  .Oldtown Oct.      5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.19.. Canaan Oct.      5/64..  Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Disc.,  June  15/65. 


Salsbury,  Charles  H. 
Weymouth,  Marshall 
Waldron,  James  W. 


.29.  .Clinton 
.22.  .Clinton 


.Oct. 
...Oct. 


Webber,  Retire  W 24.  .Clinton Oct. 


COMPANY   I. 
SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED  AND  JOINED  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 

SERGEANTS 

.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  9,  '62. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Dec.  8,  '62. 
.Aug.  2 5 ,'62.. Killed,  Gettysburg. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Nov.  1,  '62. 

CORPORALS 
.Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  capt. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .  Red.  at  own  request,  disc.  Dec 
Aug.  25/62.    ~ 


Henry  H.  Earle 
George  R.  Palmer   .  .  . 

.19. 
.23. 

.  Rockland  .... 
.  Camden  . 

James  M.  Higgins    .  .  . 
Francis  W.  Rhoades 
Stephen  Colburn 

Edgar  A.  Burpee 

.26. 
.26. 
.34. 

?? 

.  Rockland  .... 
.  Bremen  
.  Vinalhaven  .  . 

Rockland  .  . 

Albion  K.  Hewitt    .  .  . 
Reuben  T.  Carver    .  .  . 
William  A.  Evans    .  .  . 
George  E.  Sherwood 
William  E.  Barrows    . 
Joseph  G.  Maddocks 
Peleg  Wiley    

James  W.  Packard    .  . 
Alexander  Dumphe     . 

.37 
.25 
.27 
.26 
.32 
.25 
.31 

.19 
.29 

.Camden  
.  Vinalhaven  .  .  . 
.  Appleton  
.Camden  
.  Rockland  
.S.  Thomaston.  . 
.  Camden  

.  Rockland  
.  Vinalhaven  .  .  . 

30, 
1,  '64. 


Hiram  Whitten 


.32.  .Rockland  . 


Arey,  Hiram  F  
Anderson,  Edwin 
Bachelder  LaForest  P 
Barter,  George  W.  .  .  . 
Benjamin,  Addison.  .  . 
Benner,  Orrin  P  
Black,  Gorham  L  
Bowley,  Harrison  B.  . 
Bray,  Francis  E  
Butler,  Caleb  P  
Cables,  John  H 

.  18.  .Vinalhaven    ... 
.32.  .Camden  
19.  .Camden  
.24.  .Boothbay  
.44.  .Whitefield  
.30.  .Camden  
.18.  .Rockland  
.36  .  .Camden  
.21  .  .Vinalhaven    .  .  . 
.35  .  .Appleton  
18     Rockland 

Calph,  John    
Carey,  John  F  
Carey,  Robert  H  
Carver,  Francis  S  
Carver,  Lafayette    .  .  . 

.27  .  .Appleton  
.35  .  .Camden  
.25.  .Camden  
.18.  .Vinalhaven    .  .. 
.24.  .Vinalhaven    ... 

Choate,  Benjamin  F.  .  .33.  .Whitafield. 

Clapp,  Hiram 40.  .Appleton.  . 

Clark,  Joseph  L 26 ..  Rockland  . 

Clark,  Luther 21..  Rockland  . 

Cleveland,  James  S.    .  .  19.  .Cam Jen.  . 


Red.  tr.  signal  corps.  Jan. 

Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Frederidkburg,  disc.  Feb.  16,  '63. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 
Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  sergt.  killed,  Gettysburg. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Mch.  IS,  '64. 
Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  13, ''62. 

MUSICIANS 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Dec.  18,  '62. 
Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

WAGONER 
Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

PRIVATES 

Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  23,  '64. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  23,  '64. 
Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Dec.  29.  '62. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  23,  '64. 
.Aug.  2  5/62..  Abs.  sick  at  M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Jan.  20,  '63.  Marine  hosn.  Baltimore. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  June  18,  '64. 
-Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Jerusalem  Piank  Road,  m.  o. 
Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Jan.  1,  '63. 

Aug.  25/62.  .Died  in  hosp.  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  2,  '65. 
Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  17,  '64. 
Au,7.  25/62.  .M.  o. 
Aug.  25/62..  Killed.  Gettysburg. 
Aug.  25/62.. Disc.  Apr.  10,  '63. 
Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.. Pr.  sergt.  pr.  2d.  lieut.,  mortally  wd.  Jerusalem 

Plank  Road. 

..Aug.  25/62.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Sept    15,  '63 
.  .  \ug.  25/62..  Pr.  21.  lieut. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  G^ttvsburg.  tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  16,  '64. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Tai.  14,  '63. 


344 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


NAME 


AGE     RESIDENCE 


Cobb.  George  S 21. 

Conway,  Orrin  T 29 . 

Creamer,  Roscoe  D.    .  .  18. 

Dodge.  Adrian  C 21. 

Dyer,  Alden  W 19. 


.Camden 

Vinalhaven.  . 
Bremen  .... 
,  Rockland  .  .  . 
S.  Thomaston 


Farnham,  George  N.  .  .  18. 
Farnham,  Samuel  ....  43  . 

Fisk,  Franklin    18. 

Flagg,  Micah    39. 

Greenleaf,  Ebenezer  ..44. 
Hanson,  Llewellyn  .  .  .20. 
Hemenway,  Calvin  ...  18 . 

Higgins,  John  H 39. 

Holmes.  George  E 19  . 

Hatchings,  Zuinglous.  .27. 
Jackson,  Nahum  R.  .  .  19. 
Jacobs,  Edwin  S 22. 

Joice,  Harvey  C 18 . 

Kinsell,  Albion  R 36. 

Kittridge,  William  W.    21. 

Lamb,  Daniel  G 32. 

Lane,  Charles  E 18. 

Little,  Thomas 27  . 

Little,  Otis 21 . 

Little,  William  H.,  Jr.  25. 
Ludwig,  Alexander ....  44 . 
Mariner,  Leander  S.  . .  18. 
Mclntosh,  James  H..  .  .18. 
Merriman,  Isaac  W.  . .  19  . 

Mills,  James  P 35. 

My  rick,  Martin  V 23  . 

Norton,  Joseph  H 20. 


Camden 

Whitefield... 

Camden 

Camden 

Whitefield    .  . 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.Camden 

Rockland  .  .  . 

,  Appleton.  .  .  . 
Rockland  .  . . 
Appleton.  .  .  . 

.Camden 

.Whitefield.  .. 
,  Vinalhaven  . 

Camden 

.Whitefield... 
,  Bremen  .... 
,  Bremen  .... 
.  Bremen  .... 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.  Vinalhaven  . 
.S.  Thomaston 
.  Vinalhaven  . 
.Vinalhaven  . 
.  Vinalhaven  . 


Ogier,  George  L 18 

Overlock.  Ansel  A.    ...21 

Oxton,  Amos  B 19 

Perry,  Chandler  F.    ...26 
Pierce,  Freeman  G.  ...  19 

Place,  Tames  H 28 

Rackliff.  William  N....22 
Richardson,  Charles  S..38 
Shepherd,  George  W.  .  18 
Shibles,  Rufus  Jr.  . 
Shibles,  William  H. 
Simonton,  W.  H.  H, 
Studley,  George  . . . 
Sumner,  John  F. .  . . 
Taylor,  Solomon 


.23. 
18. 
21 
28, 
19. 
31 


.Camden 

.  Liberty 

.Camden 

.S.  Thomaston 
.Vinalhaven  . 
.  Rockland  .  . . 
.  Rockland  .  . . 
.  Rockland  .  . . 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.Camden 

.  Rockland  .  .  . 
.Camden 

.Camden 

.  Bremen  .... 
.Vinalhaven  . 
.Vinalhaven  . 
.  Vinalhaven  . 

.  Vinalhaven  . 
.Whitefield.  .. 
.Appleton.  .  .  . 
.  Rockland  .  .  . 
.  Whitefield .  .  . 

.Camden 

.Camden 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.Aug.  25, '62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Wilderness,  killed,  Boydton  Road. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  Sept.  1,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  30,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank 

Road,  disch*  June  12,  '65. 
.Aug.  25/62.. Died,  Dec.  25,  '62. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  July,  19  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Died,  July  16,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Died,  May  17,  '63. 
.Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Apr.  10,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  4,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  May  20,  '63. 
,  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Det.  as  teamster  m.  o. 
.Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.    corp.     and     sergt.,     wd.     Gettysburg    and 

Spottsylvania,   died,  June  15,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.. M.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Jan  7,  '63. 

.Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg    and    Spottsylvania,  disc.  Jan. 

14,  '65. 

,  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Cold  Harbor. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Nov.  11,  '63. 
,  .  Aug.  25/62.  .  Det.  in  arty,  brig.,  m.  o. 

.  Au<?.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  at  m.  o. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Feb.  22,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. . Wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  killed,  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..Pr.  sergt.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  disc.  Apr.  26,  "65 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  31,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Ft.  Baker,  D.  C.,  Sept.  27,  '62. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  at  div.  hdqrs.,  m.  o. 

.Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  9,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Dec.  7,  '63. 
. .  Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  disc.  Mch.  20,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Wilderness,  pris.  Jerusalem 

Plank  Road.  disc.  Aug.  1,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Feb.  6,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  3,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  absent  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  killed,  Gettysburg. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Spottsylvania,  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.    May  29,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Sept.  26,  '64. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  May  13,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62. .  Det.  in  q.  m.  dept.  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  corp.  wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Died  Feb. 2,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Died  Feb.  12,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  and  2d.  lieut.  co.  A. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Mch.  5,  '63. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Feb.  1,  '64. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Pr.    corp.    pris.    Jerusalem    Plank    Road,    died 

Andersonville,  Mch.  30,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o.  disc.  May  23,  '66. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg,  died  July  19,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Apr.  20,  '63. 
.  .  .Aug.25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  no  further  record. 
..Aug.  25/62..  Pr.    corp.    pris.    Jerusalem    Plank   Road,   disch. 

June  12,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C.  Feb.  10/64. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  hosp.  attendant,  sick  at  m.  o. 
.  .Aug.  25/62..  Died  Nov.  16,  '62. 
..Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Aug.  18,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.  Mch.  31,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 
.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  sergt.  m.  o. 


Thorndike,  Warren  B.   21. 

Tolman,  David 23. 

Turner,  George  S 18 . 

Twitchell,  Isaac  J 33. 

Vinal,  John 34. 

Vinal,  Worster  S 18. 

Vinal.  Calvin  B 20. 

Warren,  Sylvanus 44. 

Webster,  Henry 21. 

West,  Hosea 42. 

Wheeler,  Jeremiah 44 . 

Wilson,  Joseph  W.    .  ..28. 
Witherspoon.  A.  L.    ..24. 

RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION' 

Anderson,  John 21 .  .Portland    Aug.   13/63.  .Cons,  died  Andersonville,  June  28,  '64,  record8 

disch.  do  not  disclose  when  captured. 

Anderson,  C.  S 25.  .Richmond Feb.    10/65.  .Disc,  for  pr.  in  regular  army. 

Baker.  Joseph    23.  .Lewiston    Aug.     4/63.  .Cons,  reptd.  des.  Oct.  14,  '63,  probably  taken 

pris.  on  that  day. 


ROSTER 


345 


NAME 


AGE     RESIDENCE 


Bogue,  Edward    29 .  .Lewiston    . 


Bowen,  Jeremiah 23. 

Brady,  George 21 , 

Campbell,  Thomas  B...28, 

Clark,  John 35. 

Cleary,  Dennis 22  . 

Curran,  John    24 . 

Cummings,  John    23  . 

Dailey,  Edward 18. 

Dixon,  John  H 22  . 

Dowling,  John 24. 

Dulley,  Henry,  G 20. 

Emerson,  John 24. 

Flye,  Frank    27. 

Gray,  Joab 44. 

Gregory,  Elvirus  E.  ...  19  . 

Harrigan,  Patrick 28. 

Hall.  William  H 18. 

Henderson,  Joseph    ...  44 . 

Hunter,  John  G 22. 

Jackson,  Edward 24. 

Kelley,  Francis    26. 

Knox,  Sylvanus 22  . 

Larkin,  Peter 18. 

Lang,  John  L 30. 

McAllister,  Alvin  ....  .34. 
McKay,  Anthony  F..  .  .29. 
Meservey,  Dexter    .  . 
Miller,  Charles  B.  .  .  . 

Miles,  Andrew  J 

Mulligan,  Francis.  .  . 
Nickerson,  Ingraham 

Norris,  Henry 22  . 

O'Connor,  Timothy  ...  37  . 

Pennon,  Frederick 21 . 

Powell,  Charles  H.     ...19 

Radcliff,  James    43 

Reynolds,  Augustus  A.  19 

Reed,  John 27 

Riley,  John 20 

Riley,  Henry    21 

Riley,  Michael    21 

Ripley,  Charles    20 

Rollins,  Benjamin  J.  .  .  42 
Rosignal,  Frederick  .  .  .28 

Sanders,  John  H 26 

Savage,  Edwin 21 

Smith,  John 23, 

Smith,  Charles 23 

Springer,  Andrew  Jr.  .  .  30 
S  perrin ,  William  H .    ..35 

Speed,  Charles  H 33 

Spear,  Freeman  H 23 , 

Sumner,  John  F 22 

Towle,  Alfred  B 21, 

Ward,  John    25. 

Ware,  Elijah 38. 

Walker,  John  B 27. 

Washburn,  Philo  B.    .  .44. 

Worley,  George    24. 

York,  Freeman    19 . 


.  Monroe 
.  Portland    .  . 
.Thomaston 
.  Portland    .  . 
.  Portland    .  . 
.  Lewiston    .  . 
.  Portland    .  . 

.  Belfast 

.  Portland  .  . 
.  Pembroke  . 
.  Portland  .  . 
.  Farmington 
.  Bangor  .... 
.Cam den .  .  .  . 
.Camden.  .  .  . 
.  Lewiston  .  . 
.  Bath  .  . 


.22 
27. 
26. 
26. 
30. 


.  Augusta  .  . . 
.  Portland  .  . 
.Westbrook  . 

.  Bath 

.Waterville.  . 
.  Buxton 

.  Portland    .  . 

.Belfast 

.Belfast.,... 

.Belfast 

.  Augusta  . . . 
.  Oldtown  . . . 
.  Portland .  .  . 
.Litchfield  . 
.  Searsport  . 
.  Augusta  . . 
.  Buxton 
.  Augusta  . . 
.Rockland  . 
.Augusta  . . 
.  Portland  . 
.  Portland  . 
.Portland  . 
.  Portland  . 
.Belfast.... 
.Belfast. .  .  . 
.  Phipsburg 
.  Lincoln  . . . 
.Chester  .  .. 
.  Portland  . 
.Augusta. . . 
.  Litchfield . . 
.Milford.... 
.  Macwahoc . 

.Belfast 

.  Camden . . . 
.Lagrange.  . 
.  Westbrook 
.  Oldtown  . . . 
.  Oldtown  . .  , 
.Frankfort 

.  Portland  .  . 
.  Bucksport .  , 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 
,  .Aug.  13/63.. Cons.   clet.   in  arty.    brig.   wd.    Boydton  Road, 

disch.  May  16,  '65. 
.  .Mch.     4/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
,  .Sept.  21/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
..Mch.  14/64..  Joined  as  2d.  lieut. 

.Apr.    19/64.  .Died  of  wds.  June  25,  '64. 
,  .Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Mine  Run,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Aug.     5/63.. Cons.  des.  Sept.  12,  '63. 
,  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons.  abs.  sick,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Feb.    11/65.  .Disch.  June  3,  '65. 

.Aug.  10/63.. Cons,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 

.July   29/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.   12/63.  .Cons.  tr.  to  navy  Apr.  23,  '64. 

.Sept.  10/63.. Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.  27/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Mch.     1/64.  .Disc.  Apr.  26,  '64. 

.Feb.    16/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A.- 

.Aug.  12/63.. Cons,  died  June  16,  '64. 

.July   30/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania,  died  from  amputation, 
in  Washington,  Sept.  5,  '64. 

.Dec.   22/63.  .Disch.  June  3,  '65. 

.Aug.  17/63.  .Cons,  reptd.  des.  from  hosp.  in  Mch.  '64. 

.Aug.  15/63.  .Cons.  wd.  date  not  shown,  disch.  June  13,  '65. 

.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.  11/63.  .Cons.  disc.  Jan.  8,  '64. 

.Apr.   20/64..  Pris.  Reams'  Station,  died  Andersonville,  Oct. 
20/64. 

.Aug.  15/63.. Cons,  supposed  pris.  disch.  June  26,  '65. 

.Dec.     8/63.  .Tr.  to  navy  Apr.  23,  '64. 

.Mch.     4/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Mch.     4/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.July   25/63.  .Des.  near  Stevensburg,  Va.,  Nov.  26,  '63. 

.Sept.  19/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
..Mch.  15/65.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons.  des.  Brandy  Station,  Dec.  4,  '63. 
..Aug.  15/63.. Cons,  disc.,  Dec.  17,  '63. 
,  .Apr.   20/64.  .Died,  July  10,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.,  pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Nov.  28/63.  .Disc.,  Apr.  6,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  des.  Sept.  29,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 
.  .Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  des.  Brandy  Station,  Dec.  4,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons.  des.  near  Stevensburg,  Va.,  Nov.   26,    '63. 
..Aug.  11/63.. Cons,  died,  Dec.  25,  '63. 
.  .Feb.  20/64.  .Killed,  Wilderness. 
.  .Dec.     8/63.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  23,  '64. 
.  .Feb.   29/64.  .Pris.  Hatchers  R.un,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Sept.  10/63.  .Cons,  paroled  pris.,  disc.,  Dec.  5,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H,  A. 
..Sept.  10, '63.. Cons,  died,  Dec.  31,  '63. 
.  .Aug.  15/63.  .Abs.  sick  at  m.  o.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Sept.    7/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  23,  '64. 
.  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .Dec.     8/63.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  3,  '64. 
.  .Sept.  20/64.  .Disch.,  May  13,  '65. 
.  .Aug.  14/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
,  .Aug.  15/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Wilderness. 

.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road. 

.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons,  disch.,  June  21,  '65. 

.Aug.     5/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Bristoe  Station,  died  in  prison,  Rich 
mond,  Jan.  1,  '64. 

.Aug.  11/63.  .Cons,  des.,  Sept.  12,  '63,  never  joined  co. 

.Sept.  17/63.. Cons.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  disch.  June  17, '65. 


SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT,  JUNE  15,  1864. 


Babson,  Joseph  B 21 

Boardway,  Joseph  ...  .21 
Boynton,  Leverett  S.    .21 

Butler,  Michael    .        .  .38, 


. Brooklin Jan.      1/64.  .Vet.  pr.  sergt.  2d.  lieut.  co.  F. 

. Orono Aug.  18/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.lst.  H.  A. 

.S.  Danvers,  Ms.  Jan.      1/64     Vet.  pris.   Reams'  Station,  died,  Andersonville, 

Nov.  27,  '64. 
, Boscommon  .  .  .Dec.     3/61.  .Disch.  exp.  term. 


346 


THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 


.21. 

.25. 


NAME 
Burgin,  Augustus    .  . 

Colson,  Prentice  .... 
Fowles,  Lyman  P.  .  . 
Gray,  Clarendon  W. 
Grant,  Lemuel  C.  .  .  . 
Jellerson,  Lemuel  B.. 
Kent,  Edward  E.  .  .  . 
Kelley,  Jeremiah. .  .  . 

Knowlton,  John  M.  . 
Lambert,  Jonas  B.  . 
Madison,  James  D.  . 
Merrow,  Hezekiah  .  . 
Metcalf,  William  .  . . 

Miles,  Charles 

Newbit,  Lora  A.    ... 
Newbit,  Austin 
Nickerson,  Benjamin 
Rich,  Wesley      


Small,  Samuel  D 23 


AGE       RESIDENCE      MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.22.  .Searsport Dec.    10,'62..Wd.   Gettysburg,   pris.   Jerusalem   plank  Road, 

died,  Anderson ville,  Sept.  11,  '64. 
.27.  .Frankfort Jan.      1, '64.  .Vet.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


. 23.  .  Brewer 
.18. .Stockton 
.21.  .Frankfort 
.20.  .Monroe  .  . 

Brewer  .  . 

Swanville 


Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

.Jan.      1,'64.  .Vet.  pr.  sergt.  acid  2d.  lieut. 

.Jan.      1, '64..  Vet.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Jan.      1, '64..  Vet.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Jan.      1/64..  Vet.  corp.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.  28/63.. Cons.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died,  Rebel 
Prison,  Oct.  28,  '64. 

.Aug.  21/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Mch.  31,  '65,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Aug.  18/63.  .Cons,  disch.  May  19,  '65. 
.38.  .Lawrence  Ms..  .Aug.  29/63.  .Cons,  died,  Feb.  12,  '65. 

.25.  .Fairfield July   21/63.  .Cons,  killed,  Petersburg. 

.  42  .  .  Fairfield Aug.  19/63 ..  Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  died  at  home,  Sept.  20/64. 

.21.  .Springfield,  Ms.  Aug.  25/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Reams' Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.20.  .Swanville 
.  18.  .Monroe 


Stanley,  Edgar  A..  .  . 
Wragg,  Theodore  M. 
York,  Edward  


.26.  .Appleton Aug.  27/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.20.  .Appleton Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  38 .  .  Eden Dec.   31/61..  Disch.  exp.  term. 

.20..  Jackson    Dec.     3/61.  .  Pris.  Gettysburg,  died,    Belle   Isle   prison,   Nov. 

18,  '64. 

Bucksport Dec.      8/62..  Pris.  Gettysburg,  died,   Belle  Isle  prison,  Nov. 

15,  '64. 

.Aug.  12/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Wilderness,  disch.,  May  20,  '65. 
21/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.  28 .  .  Brewer  . 
.23.. Lowell  . 
.  19.  .Hermon Aug.  26/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.Aug. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED  INFANTRY  IN 

NOVEMBER  1864. 


Caiman,  James  J 22  .  .Clinton 

Cunningham,  George  H.18.  .Augusta  .  .  . 
Fairbrother,  James.  .  .  .  18 .  . Limerick    .  . 

Gordon,  Sylvanus 34.  . Mercer    .... 

Lewis,  Wilson  C 33 .  .Clinton  .... 

McNelley,  Hazen 33.  .Clinton 

Perry,  Stephen  W.    ...  20.  .  Burnham  .  . 
Plummer,  Edward  L. .  .  31 .  .  Pittsfield    .  . 

Speed,  Enoch  R 22  ..  Athens 

Taylor,  Dexter 44.  .Gardiner    .  . 

Tibbetts,  Rodney  D.  .  .23.  .Smithfield... 
Tobin.  James  B 27  .  .Windsor  .  .  . 


.  .Oct.  5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Sergt.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Capt.  assigned  to  co.  G. 

..Oct.  5/64..  Mus.  tr.  1st.  H  .  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

..Oct.  5/64.  .Corp.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.  .Oct.  5/64.  .Corp.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

COMPANY  K. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  VOLUNTEERED  AND  JOINED  COMPANY  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION. 


Richard  Crockett 32  ..  Brunswick. . . 

George  A.  Kimball    .  .  .  20 .  .  Bath 

George  A.  Wadsworth    21..  Bath 

Weld  Sargent     30 ..  Boothbay  .  .  . 

Joseph  W.  Winter     .  . .  37  .  .  W.  Bath 

Samuel  E.  Buckman     .31..  Eastport    .  . . 

William  Boynton  Jr.  .  .  35  .  .  Bath 

Thomas  P.  Beath    ...  .20.  .Boothbay  .  .  . 
James  N.  Hinkley      ...  31 .  .Georgetown  . 

Edwin  W.  Swett    22  ..  Arrowsic    .  .  . 

George  L.  Grant    33  ..  Phipsburg    .  . 

Giles  O.  Bailey 20.  .Gardiner    .  .  . 

Addison  Sawyer 22  ..  Bath 

David  R.  Bressons    .  .  .41 .  .Chesterville.  . 
Charles  T.  Clifford     .  .  .  25  .  .  Bath  .  . 


Blackman,  Charles    ...  18 
Blaisdell,  Richard  M.    .38, 


,  Bath 

Phipsburg 


Blaisdell,  Robert  B.    .  .30.  .Phipsburg 


SERGEANTS 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

..Aug.  25/62..  Pr.   sergt. -maj.,  wd.  Gettysburg,   pr.   2d.  lieut. 
co.  E. 

.  .Aug.  25/62*  Red.  wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  corp.,  wd.  Spottsylvan- 
ia,  died,  July  6,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  pr.  commissary  sergt.,  m.  o. 
CORPORALS 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  2d.  lieut..  wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  Dec.  3,  '63  , 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.,  killed,  Gettysburg. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  1st.  lieut.  and  cant.  co.  C. 

..Aug.  25/62   .  Pr.  1st.  sergt.  and  2d.    lieut..    mortally  wd.  Mor 
ton's  Ford,  died,  Feb.  15,  '64. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Red.  dct.  in  4.  U.  S.  arty.,  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  Nov.  5,  '63. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Disc.,  Sept.  14,  '62. 

.  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Red.  wd.  Gettysburg,  m.  o. 
MUSICIAN 

..Aug.  25/62..  Disc.  Jan.  26,  '63. 
WAGONER 

..Aug.  25/62.. Tr.  V.  R.  C.,  Jan.  15.  '64. 
PRIVATES 

.  .Aug.  25/62..  M.  o. 

..Aug.  25/62..  Wd.  Gettysburg  and  Strawberry  Plains,  disc.. 
May  31,  '65. 

.  .Aug.  25/62..Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  15,  '64. 


ROSTER 


347 


NAME 

Blake,  Edwin... 
Bowker,  Charles  H.  .  . 

Boyd,  Abijah  P 

Brown,  George  H.  .  .  . 

Butler,  Elijah  C 

Butler,  James  B 

Campbell,  Elijah  Jr..  . 

Child,  Thomas 

Clary,  James  E 

Clough,  Thomas 

Coombs,  Charles  R. 
Curtis,  Edward  B.  . 
Cushman,  George  W 
Dolloff,  Beniah  P..  . 
Dunton,  Ezekiel  L.. 

Eaton,  George  T 

Elliott,  Henry  H. 
Emerson,  Luther 
Fogler,  George  P. 

Fowles,  Ezra  L 

Francis,  Nelson    

French,  David  M.  .  .  . 
Graves,  Alpheus  M.  .  . 
Greenlow,  William  T.. 
Grows,  George  E. 


Hanson,  Benjamin  B.  .33. 

Hagan,  Thomas  M 25. 

Hathorn,  Darius    29. 

Heal,  James  T 31. 

Heal,  George  W 21. 

Holbrook,  Alpheus  M.    23. 

Tellison,  Alvah 21 . 

Knights,  James  H.    ...  18. 

Lewis.  James  H 20. 

Little,  Horace  A 19  . 

Lombard,  David  C.     .  .22. 

Lowell,  John  R.  B 19. 

Lowe,  Charles  M 20. 

Marr,  Calvin  E 36. 

McAvoy,  Charles  E.    .  .  18. 
Me Farland, Nathaniel  C.20. 

McKenney,  William    ..20. 

Mereen,  Samuel 21 . 

Mitchell,  Jesse    43  . 

Mitchell,  Edward  T 24. 

Mitchell,  Isaac  W 18. 

Mitchell,  Simmons  A.. .  19. 

Nichols,  Oliver  P 18. 

Oliver,  Loring  C 34 

Oliver,  Thomas  4th. 
Pinkham,  Lyman  W. 

Pratt,  Samuel  Jr 

Proctor,  Warren    .  . . 

Pye,  Thomas  A 

Rogers,  Josiah  B. 


Rourke,  Lawrence  J.  .  .  18. 

Scott,  Thomas  E 25. 

Shea,  Samuel  B 30. 

Smith,  Melville 20. 

Snowman,  Ambrose  .  .22. 
Spinney,  Charles  F.  ...  22  . 
Sprague,  Charles  E.  ...  18. 

Stevens,  Carroll  H 18 . 

Sullivan,  Jeremiah  ....  18. 

Swasey,  John  J 38 . 

Tobie,  Philander  H.  ..22. 
Trafton,  Stephen  P.  .  .20. 

Varell,  Oilman  N 25. 

Wallace,  James  R 18. 

Webber,  Isaac  Jr 20. 


AGE     RESIDENCE         MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

.20.  .Bath Aug.  25,'62..Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.,  Oct.  7,  '63. 

.  19.  .Phipsburg    ....Aug.  2  5, '62.  .Disc.  June  27,  '65. 

.24.  .Boothbay Aug.  2 5, '62.  .M.  o. 

.18.  .Bath Aug.  25/62. .  Pris.  Reams'  Station,  m.  o. 

.18.  .Phipsburg Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  North  Anna. 

.18.  .Phipsburg    Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Falmouth,  Va.,  Mch.  14,  '63. 

. 3 1 .. Georgetown  ...Aug.  25/62..Pr.  sergt.,  disc.  Mch.  3,  '63. 

.  18.  .Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  brig.  p.  m.  pr.  1st.  lieut.  co.  E.,  31st.  Me., 

.24.  .Georgetown  ...Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Mch.  23,  '63. 

.36.  .Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Reptd.  des.  from  hosp.,  Apr.  20,  '63. 

.19..W.  Bath Aug.  25/62.. Died,  Dec.  27,  '62. 

.  18.  .Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  in  4.  U.  S.  arty.,  pris.  Reams'  Station m.o. 

.20.  .Brunswick     ...Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  corp.,  disc.,  Dec.  16,  '63. 
.20.  .Boothbay  .    ...Aug.  25/62..Pr.  sergt.  2d.  and  1st.  lieut. 

.20.  .Westport Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  15,  '64. 

.18.  .Bath Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  q.  m.  sergt.,  died,  Mch.  27,  '64. 

.18.. Bath Aug.  25/62.. M.o. 

.34.  .Boothbay      .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Oct.  16,  '63. 

.34.  .Boothbay       ...Aug    25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.19.  .Westport.      . .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  1st.  R.  I.  arty.,  killed,  Spottsylvania. 

.  19 .  .  Arrowsic        .  .  .  Aug.  25/62 .  . Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.42.. Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Mch.  10,  '63. 

.  19.  .Brunswick     .  .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.,  m.  o. 
.  32 ..  Phipsburg      ...Aug.  25/62. .  Disc.,  Mch.  10,  '63. 

.24.  .Brunswick     . .  .Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.,  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road, 

died,  of  wds.,  July  7,  '64. 

.Pittston Aug.  25/62. .  Pr.  2d.  lieut.  co.  K. 

.Georgetown  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.  and  sergt.,  wd.  Strawberry  Plains,  m.  o. 

.Bath Aug.  25/62..  Disc.,  Feb.  28,  '63. 

.  Phipsburg    ....  Aug.  25/62 . .  Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.Georgetown  ...Aug.  2 5/62.. Died,  Dec.  11,  '62. 

.W.  Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Musician,  m.  o. 

.Kennebunk Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.,  Mch.  1,  '64. 

.  Bangor Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Boydton  Road,  m.  o. 

.Brunswick Aug.  25/82.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.  Bath Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  m.  o. 

.Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.,  Oct.  28,  '63. 

.Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  mus.  disc.,  Jan.  10,  '63. 

.Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.Georgetown  .  . .  Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.,  July  16,  '63. 

•  Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

.  Boothbay    . .  .  .Aug.  25/62 . .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  and  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road, 
died  Anderson ville  Mch.  13,  '65. 

,  Westport Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  abs.  at  m.  o. 

.Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  North  Anna,  m.  o. 

Bath Aug.  25/62.  .  Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.,  Jan.  8,  '64. 

Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Det.  q.  m.  dept.,  m.  o. 

,Bath Aug.  25/62. .  Wd.  Gettysburg, tr.  V.  R.  C.,  Nov.  1,  '63. 

Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C. 

Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Gettysburg. 

Phipsburg    Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  July  20,  '63. 

Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Feb.  16,  '63. 

B9othbay Aug.  25/62.  .  Disc.,  Mch.  10,  '63. 

Richmond Aug.  25/62.  .Pioneer  corps,  pr.  corp.,  m.  o. 

Brunswick  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg,  pr.  corp.,  disch.,  June  26,  '65. 

Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Reptd.  a  des. 

.Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  15,  '64. 

,Bath Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  died,  May  28,  '64. 


.39. 
.23. 
.24. 
.19. 
.20. 
.19. 


.Georgetown  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  . Wd.  Gettysburg,  disc.  Apr.  23,  '65. 
.Georgetown  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  July  20,  '63. 
.Brunswick.  .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Abs.  sick,  disch.,  June  6,  '65. 
.Ge9rgetown  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Disc.,  Apr.  20,  '63. 
.Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Dropped  from  the  rolls  as  des.,  Oct.  24,  '64. 

.Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Falmouth,  Va..  Feb.  1,  '63. 

.Bath Aug.  25/62..  Disc.,  Feb.  18,  '63. 

.Lewiston    Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  V.  R.  C. 

.Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  15,  '64. 

•  Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Killed,  Spottsylvania. 

.Georgetown  ...Aug.  25/62..  Wd   Gettysburg,  pr.  sergt.,  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank 

Road,  m.  o' 

.Rye,  N.  H.    .  .  . Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  tr.  V.  R.  C.  .Nov.  22,  '63. 
.Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Spottsylvania. 
.Boothbay Aug.  25/62..  Pr.  1st.  sergt.,  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 


348 


THE    NINETEENTH    MAINE    REGIMENT 


NAME 

Webster.  Leonard  S. 
Webster.  Lorenzo  .  . 
Williams,  Henry  N.  . 

Willis.  William  T 

Wylie.  James  A. 
Wylie.  Samuel  Jr 


AGE     RESIDENCE       MUSTERED  I-NTO 


REMARKS 


U.  S.  SERVICE 

.24.  .Boothbay Aug.  25.'62.  .Disc.,  Mch.  10,  '63. 

.21.  .Boothbay Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 

.26.  .Richmond Aug.  25, '62.  .Wd.  Gettysburg,  died,  July  18,  '63. 

.  18.  .  Arrowsic    Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  Corp.,  wd.  Wilderness,  m.  o. 

.18.  .Boothbay Aug.  25/62.  .Died,  Falmouth.Va.,  Dec.  30,  '62. 

.36.  .Boothbay Aug.  25/62..  Died,  Falmouth*Va.,  Dec.  26,  '62. 


RECRUITS  AND  CONSCRIPTS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  SUBSEQUENT  TO  ITS  ORGANIZATION 

Allen,  Manley 32.  .Augusta Aug.  17/63.  .Sub.  disc.,  Dec.  11,  '63. 

19.  .Camden Dec.     3/63.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

44.  .Camden Dec.     3/63.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

24.  .Lewiston    Aug.  14/63.  .Sub.  disc.,  Jan.  11, '64. 

.  .22.  .Levant Sept.  11,63.  .Cons.  pris.  Wilderness  and  in  prison  at;  m.  o. 

.  .18.  .Lewiston    Feb.   26/64.  .  Died,  Apr.  14,  '64. 

.  .30.  .  Damariscotta    .Feb.  27/64.  .Wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died.  July  7, '64. 

.  .36.  .Waterville Aug.     8/63.  .Sub.  disch.,  June  8.  '65. 

.  .20.  .Corinth Sept.  18/63.  .Sub.  disch.,  May  22  '65. 

.  .21 .  .Augusta Tuly   22/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Totopotoinoy,  disch.,  Apr.  29,  '65. 

.  .38.  .Augusta Aug.  14/63.  .Sub.  disc.,  Dec.  16,  '63. 

.  .18.  .Levant Sept.  22/63.  .  Pr.  sergt.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.lst.H.A. 

.  .19.  .Montville July   22/63.  .Wd.  Wilderness,  died  May  19,  '64. 

.  .38.  .  Fairfield Aug.  13/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  died.  Ander- 

sonville,  Jan.  23,  '65. 

.Orneville    Aug.  14/63.  .Cons.,  died.  June  15,  '64. 

.Lewiston    Aug.     6/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Waterville Aug.  17/63.  .Cons.,  tr.  V.  R.  C.,  Sept.  11,  '64. 

.Portland    Aug.  14/63.  .Sub.  tr.  to  co.  F. 

.Lewiston    Aug.  13/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Belfast Nov.  30/63.  .Abs.  sick,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Oldtown Aug.     6/63.  .Cons.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Portland    Sept.  22/63.  .Cons.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Georgetown  .  .  .Aug.  14/63.  .Abs.  sick,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

Jacobs.  Edward 23.  .Appleton Dec.      5/63.  .Died  near  Brandy  Station,  Va.,  Feb.  18,  '64. 

Kilfedder.  Robert    ....  30 ..  Portland    Aug.  11/63..  Sub.  pr.  corp.,  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Thomaston    .  .  .Aug.  12/63.  .Sub.  killed,  Totopotomoy. 
.21.  .Phipsburg    .  .  .  .Aug.  14/63.  .Sub.  tr.  to  navy,  Apr.  15,  '63. 

.19.  .Stoneham    Aug.  12/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.32.  .Lewiston    July    16/63.  .Cons.,  disc.,  Oct.  11,  '63. 

.33.  .Portland    Aug.  14/63.  .Cons,  reptd.  des.,  Nov.  26,  '63. 

. 2 1 .. Lewiston    Aug.     8/63.  .Cons,  des.,  Sept.  8,  '63. 

.21.  .Lewiston    Feb.    12/64.  .Pris.  Reams'  Station,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.23.  .Bradford    Aug.  12/63.  .Sub.,  wd.  Spottsylvania,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.20.  .Oldtown Sept.  18/63.  .Cons.  wd.  Spottsylvania.tr.  Ist.H.  A. 

.22.  .Portland    Sept.  23/63.  .Sub.  reptd.  des.  Oct.  13,  '63,  probably  captured 

by  enemy. 

.  .31.  .Bangor Aug.  28/63.. Sub.  wd.  Wilderness,  disc.,  Jan.  9,  '65. 

.24.  .Bath Aug.     7/63.  .Sub.  des.  wd.  Wilderness  Sept.  28,  '64. 

.25.  .Portland    Sept.  23/63.  .Sub.  pris.  Bristoe   Station,  died,  AndersonviUe, 

July  24,  '64. 

.  .  .  .Aug.  14/63.  .Cons.,  disch.,  June  19,  '65.. 
.  .  .  .Aug.  13/63. 

Aug.     5/63 

Aug.  17/63. 


Bennett,  George  H. 
Bennett,  Sumner  H.. 

Bixby,  George    

Bourne,  Justin  T.    .  . 

Carter,  Edwin  F 

Chapman,  John  S.  .  . 

Chase,  George 

Dorrity,  Charles  M.  . 

Farrar,  Leroy 

Fielding,  John    

Flinn,  Charles  B.  .  . . 

Ford.  Lot  A 

Gibbs.  Reuben.. 

Glidden,  Wesley 

Greenwood,  William. 

Hawes,  Wilson 

Hefferan,  Thomas.  .  . 

Hicks,  James  W 

Higgins.  William  N. 

Holmes,  Charles 

Howard.  Charles  A.  . 
Howard,  William 
Jacobs,  Edward  .  .  .  . 
lilfedder,  Robert    .  . 

Lee,  Peter  

Lowell,  William  R..  . 
McAllister,  Gardiner. 
McKeen,  Loring  .... 
McDonald,  Angus  .  . 
McKinsey,  Norman  . 
Murray,  Maurice 
Porter,  Josiah  H.  .  . . 

Porter,  Willis  M 

Potter,  Samuel 

Rand.  Albert  G 

Robinson,  Albert  .  . . 
Roberts,  Henry 

Sawyer,  Ether  C.  G. . 
Shepherd,  Nelson  R. 
Taylor,  James  W. 


.23. 
.21. 

.18. 
.30. 
.22. 
.18. 
.26. 
.22. 
.18, 
.23. 
.30. 
.20, 


Thompson,  John  L.  .  . .  22  .  .  Le 


22..Medford.. 
20.  .Augusta  . 
18.  .Gardiner 


Thompson,  Alonzo 

Tilton,  Newell  B 

Wakefield,  Thomas  D. 

Wentworth,  Asa  C 38 

Wells,  Albert  L.  .        .  .18 


nston 


.Sub.  des.  Mch  5,  '65. 

.Wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.Mortally  wd.  Wilderness,  died  May  22,  '64. 

.28.  .Porter Aug.  13/63.  .Cons.,  disc.,  Apr.  11,  '64. 

Etna Sept.  22/63.  .Cons.,  killed,  North  Anna. 

.  .  .  .Bath Aug.  25/62.  .Com.-sergt.,  red.  disc.,  Jan.  18,  '63. 

'     Cons.  died.  Dec.  29,  '63,  at  Washington. 
Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


.Sarsfield  pi Aug.  15/63. 

.Mercer    Jan.      2/64. 


Williams,  John  H 20.  .Lewiston    '.  . .  .  .Aug.     5/63.  .Sub.  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

SOLDIERS  TRANSFERRED  TO  COMPANY  FROM  FOURTH  MAINE  REGIMENT,  JUNE  15,  1864 

.28.  .Boothbay Aug.  25/62.  .M.  o. 

.20.  .Boothbay Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  m,  o. 

.  2 1 ..  Boothbay Aug.  25/62.  .Wd.    Jerusalem    Plank    Road,    died,    of    wds. 

July  27,  '64. 

.22.  .Boothbay  .  .    .  .Aug.  25/62.. Wd.  Cold  Harbor,  disch.,  June  9,  '65. 
.18.  .Boothbay  .  .    .  .Aug.  25/62.  .  Pr.  corp.,  m.o. 

.44.  .Perry Aug.  30/63.  .Cons.  pris.  Spottsylvania  and  in  prison  at  m.  o. 

.20.  .Thomaston      ..Jan.      1/64..  Vet.  pr.  corp..  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.24..Belmont Dec.     9/63.  .  Disch.,  May  22,  '65. 

.43    .Belmont Aug.  22/63.  .Cons.,  wd.  Jerusalem  Plank  Road,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

.21.  .Belfast Aug.  26/63.  .Cons.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A.,  reptd.  abs.  wd. 

,36.  .Lewiston    Aug.  26/63.  .Cons,  died  in  Washington,  June  7,  '64. 


Auld,  Rufus 

Blake,  John  P.  .  . 
Bryer,  Albert  W. 


Corey,  John  K. 
Giles,  Charles  E.  Jr.    . 

Grover,  Moses    

Harthorn,  William  M. 
Jackson,  James  E.  .  .  . 
Jackson,  Amasa  J.  . .  . 
Kennedy,  Thomas  .  .  . 
Kenniston,  Samuel  E. 


ROSTER 


349 


NAME 

Larmour,  John  W.    . 

Page,  James  W 

Page,  Amos  M 

Perkins,  Thomas  R. . 
Pinkham,  Francis  C. 
Scribner,  Albert  C.  . 
Simpson,  Elisha 

Simpson,  John 

Smith,  William  M.  . . 

Smith,  James 

Smith,  Fairfield 

Smiley  James    

Trott,  Solomon  S..  . . 

Trott,  Amos  C 

Ward,  Joseph 


AGE     RESIDEKCE 

.  .27  .  .Alexandria  . 
.  .22.  .Sedgwick.  .  . 
.  .24.  .  Kenduskeag 
.  .  19  .  .Gardiner  .  . 
.  .31 .  .Boothbay  .  . 
.  .  18.  .Charleston  . 
.  .  42  .  .  Bradford  .  . 
.  .17.  .Bradford. .  . 
.  .23.  .Boothbay  .  . 
..21..  Oldtown  .  .  . 
.  .  18.  .Kingsbury.  . 
,  .33.  .Portland  .. 

.  .18.  .Winn 

.  .22.  .Winn 

. .23. .Saco. . 


MUSTERED  INTO  REMARKS 

U.  S.  SERVICE 

...Nov.     1, '61.. Disc.  Nov.  3,  '64. 
.  .  .  Nov.     9, '61 .  .  Disc.,  Nov.  8,  '64,  exp.  term. 

.  .Nov.  9, '61.  .    Disc.  Nov.  8, '64,  exp.  term. 
.  .  .Jan.     1,'64.  .Vet.  pr.  corp.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Aug.  25, '62.  .Sick  in  hosp.  at  m.  o. 
.  .  .Aug.  24, '63.  .Cons.,  pris.  Wilderness,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Aug.  25, '63.  .Cons.,  wd.  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
.  .  .Aug.   25, '63.  .Cons.,  wd.  Oct.  23,  '64.  disch.,  June  2    '65 
.  .  .Aug.  2 5, '62.  .Sergt  ,  disc.  July  17,  '64. 
.  .  .Aug.  25/63.  .Cons. 
.  .  .Aug.  15, '63.. Cons. 

.  .Aug.  25/63.  .Cons. 


.Aug.  25/63.. Cons. 
.  .Aug.  25/63.  .Cons. 
..Sept.  2/63..  Cons. 


wd.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

abs.  tr.  Ist.H.  A. 

wd.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

wd.,  tr.  1st.  H.  A. 

wd.,  North  Anna  tr.  Ist.^H.  A. 

disc.,  June  16,  '64. 


SOLDIERS  WHO  JOINED  COMPANY  FROM  FIFTH  COMPANY  UNASSIGNED^INFANTRY 

NOVEMBER,  1864. 


Abbott,  Edmund  M.  .  .  18  .  .  Bristol Oct. 

Graves,  Sumner 18.  .  Waldoboro  .  .    .Oct. 

Hart,  Noah 18.  .Waldoboro  . .    .Oct. 

Hart,  Sampson 18 ..  Pittsfield    ....  Oct. 

Hart,  Eben 18.  .Waldoboro  .  .    .Oct. 

Harvey,  Joseph 43.  .Waldoboro  .  .    .Oct. 

McPherson,  John  M.   .  .21 .  .Windsor Oct. 

Odlin,  John  H 28.. Mercer Oct. 

Rolf,  Cephas  M 18.  .Waldoboro  . .    .Oct. 

Russell,  William    20.  .Windsor Oct. 

Sawyer,  Rolonson  B.    .18 

Smart,  Sylvester   18. 

Sutton,  James  H 28. 


Trask,  Elbridge 26 


Norridgewock.  .Oct. 

Augusta Oct. 

Waldoboro  . .  .  .Oct. 
Waterville Oct. 


Winn,  Charles  J 18 .  .Waldoboro Oct. 


5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64..  Disch.,  May  20,  '65. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64..  Disc.,  Feb.  25,  '65. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 
5/64.. Tr.  1st.  H.  A. 


Appendix. 


APPENDIX  353 


APPENDIX. 

The  author  of  this  volume  is  a  native  of  Maine  and  proud 
of  her  history.  Nothing  has  contributed  more  to  the  renown 
of  the  Pine  Tree  State  than  the  character  of  her  statesmen 
from  1855  to  '87°  and  the  service  and  sacrifice  of  her  sons 
during  the  distressing  period  of  the  Civil  War.  Her  sons 
and  their  descendants  may  be  found  in  every  State  of  the 
Union.  When  the  flag  and  the  perpetuity  of  the  Govern 
ment  were  threatened  in  the  sixties,  these  sons  of  Maine — 
these  patriotic  men  of  patriotic  spirit  and  hardihood — re 
sponded  to  the  call  of  their  country. 

The  men  who  died  for  their  country  and  its  institutions, 
on  the  battlefields  of  the  War,  should  be  gratefully  remem 
bered.  Let  us  recall  a  few  of  their  names:  Hiram  G.  Berry, 
Rockland;  Hiram  Burnham,  Cherryfield;  Daniel  Chaplin  and 
William  L.  Pitcher,  Bangor;  Freeman  McGilvery,  Stockton; 
Charles  S.  Bickmore,  Ebenezer  Whitcomb  and  Robert  H. 
Gray,  Searsport;  Calvin  S.  Douty,  Dover;  William  S.  Heath, 
Waterville;  Edwin  Burt,  Augusta;  Stephen  Boothby  and 
George  F.  Leppien,  Portland;  Winslow  P.  Spofford,  Dedham; 
Archibald  D.  Leavitt,  Turner;  William  Knowlton,  Lewiston; 
William  C.  Morgan,  Cornville;  Joel  A.  Haycock,  Calais;  and 
James  P.  Jones,  China. 

These  men  were  killed  in  battle.  They  were  all  general 
and  staff  officers  of  Maine  organizations.  Maine  is  richer 
because  these  men  lived — and  died.  But  this  list  comprises 
only  a  few  of  the  officers,  highest  in  command.  Line  officers 
and  enlisted  men  who  fell  in  battle,  who  died  in  hospitals  or 
miserably  perished  in  the  prisons  of  the  South,  make  a  list 
of  heroes  which  is  Maine's  richest  heritage. 

In  the  examination  of  the  War  records  and  in  the  research 
necessary  to  be  made  in  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the 
author  gathered  information  not  pertinent  to  a  Regimental 
History.  It  may,  however,  be  of  sufficient  general  interest 
to  the  people  of  Maine,  to  justify  its  printing. 


354 


THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 


A  partial  list  of  men  born  in  the  State  of  Maine,  who 
entered  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  from  other 
states  or  through  the  regular  army  and  attained  the  rank  of 
general  or  field  officer,  is  herewith  appended.  \V.  P.  indi 
cates  that  the  men  were  educated  at  West  Point. 


James  G.  Blunt, 
C  C.  Washburn, 
E.  D.  Keyes  (W.  P.), 


MAJOR-GENERALS 

Appointed  from  Kansas. 
Entered  service  from  Wisconsin. 
Appointed  to   West  Point  from   Maine 
but  born  in  Massachusetts. 


BRIGADIER-GENERALS 


Adelbert  Ames  (W.  P.), 
James  H.  Carleton, 
Francis  Fessenden, 
Cuvier  Grover  (W.  P.), 
Cyrus  Hamlin, 
Edward  Hatch, 
Joseph  Hayes, 
Edward  W.  Hinks, 
Albion  P.  Howe  (W.  P.), 
Rufus    Ingalls(W.  P.), 
Francis  G.  Lanners  (W.  P.), 
Henry  Prince  (W.  P.), 
Eliakim  P.  Scammon  (W.  P.) 
Seth  Williams  (W.  P.), 


Formerly  1st  Lieut.  5th  U.  S.  Artillery. 
Col.  1st  California  Infantry. 
Capt.  19th  U.  S.  Infantry. 
Capt.  10th  U.  S.  Infantry. 
Col.  80th  U.  S.  C.  Infantry. 
Col.  2nd  Iowa  Cavalry. 
Col.  18th  Massachusetts  Infty. 
Col.  19th  Massachusetts  Inftry 
Capt.  4th  U.  S.  Artillery. 
Q.  M.  and  Major  U.  S.  A. 
Col.  43rd  New  York  Infantry. 
Capt.  4th  U.  S.  Infantry. 
Col.  23rd  Ohio  Infantry. 
Lt.-Col.Asst.  A.  G.,  U.  S.  A. 


COLONELS 


Melville  A.  Cochran, 

Albert  Erskine, 

Samuel  A. -.Foster,  . 

John  W.  T.  Gardiner, 

Charles  F.  Haynes, 

Horatio  C.  King,     . 

Edward  B.  Knox,   . 

William  J.  McDermott,    . 

Alfred  Morton, 

James  W.  H.  Stickney,    . 

Peter  G.  Stuyvesant, 

Charles  W.  Thompson  (W.  P.) 

James  H.  Thompson, 

Charles  J.  Whiting, 

Henry  C.  Wood  (W.  P.), 

Joseph  S.  Gage, 

Augustus  H.  Gibson  (W.  P.), 

Samuel  Harriman, 

John  H.  Holman,    . 

Marshall  S.  Howe,  j 


.      6th  U.  S.  Infantry. 

.    13th  Illinois  Cavalry. 

35th  Missouri  Infantry. 

.    2nd   U.  S.   Cavalry. 

.    Surgeon  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

.    Q.  M.  U.S.  Voluntee 

.    44th  New  York  Infantry. 

Surgeon  66th  New  York,  Infantr 

7th  California  Infantry. 

3rd  New  York  Infantry 

.    Surgeon  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

.    Q.  M.  U.  S.  A. 

.    Surgeon  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

2nd  U.  S.  Cavalry. 

.    Asst..  A.  G.  U.  S.  A. 

29th  Missouri  Infantry. 

2nd  Pennsylvania  Artillery. 

37th  Wisconsin  Infantry. 

1st  U.  S.  C.  Infantry. 

.       3rd  U.  S.  Cavalry. 


APPENDIX  355 

Daniel  Huston,        .  .       .          .          .          .  7th  Missouri  Cavalry. 

Warren  L.  Lothrop          .          .          .1st  Missouri  Light  Artillery. 
Gran ville  Moody,    .          .          .          .'".'•       .     74th  Ohio  Infantry. 

Thomas  F.  Purley,  .          .          .  Medical  Inspector  General. 

Charles  G.  Sawtelle  (W.  P.), Q.  M.  U.  S.  A. 

Orland  Smith,          .          .          ...          .     73rd  Ohio  Infantry 

Charles  R.  Thompson,      .          .          .          .          12th  U.  S.  C.  Infantry. 

Ansel  D.  Wass,        ....        60th  Massachusetts  Infantry. 

William  Appleton  Webb  (W.  P.),      .  '        .  42nd  Illinois  Infantry. 

Edward  F.  Winslow,        .....        4th  Iowa  Cavalry. 

LIEUTENANT-COLONELS 


John  S.  Cook, 
Seth  Eastman, 
Robert  F.  Patterson, 
William  Sanborn,    . 
Charles  W.  Thomas  (W.  P.), 
Charles  A.  Whittier, 


26th  Massachusetts  Infantry. 
1st  U.  S.  Infantry. 
.     29th  Iowa  Infantry. 
22nd  Michigan  Infantry. 
.      7th  U.  S.  Infantry. 
Asst.  A.  G.,  U.  S.  Vols.  (20th  Mass.). 

MAJORS 


Josiah  H.  Carlisle  (W.  P.), 
Stephen  D.  Carpenter  (W.  P.) 

John  A.  Darling,     . 
John  Edwards  (W.  P.),    . 
Frederick  W.  Emery, 


.      2nd  U.  S.  Artillery. 

19th  U.  S.  Infantry.     Killed  battle  of 

Murfreesboro,  Dec.  31,  1862. 

3rd  Pennsvlvania  Artillery. 

.      3rd  U.  S.  Artillery. 

Asst.  A.  G.,  U.  S.  Volunteers,  Kansas. 


The  following  commissioned  officers,  below  the  rank  of 
Major,  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  service,  were  born  in  Maine: 

Roderick  Stone  (W.  P.),  Captain  14th  U.  S.  Infantry,  mortally 
wounded  battle  of  Valverde,  New  Mexico,  Feb.  21,  1862. 

William  H.  Chamberlain,  1st  Lieutenant,  17th  U.  S.  Infantry; 
killed  at  Gettysburg,  July  2nd,  1863. 

Otto  Fisher,  1st  Lieutenant  8th  U.  S.  Infantry;  mortally 
wounded  battle  of  Poplar  Spring  Church,  Va.,  Sept.  30th, 
1864;  died  Oct.  3rd,  1864. 

Thomas  H.  Green  (W.  P.),  Captain  on  staff  of  General  Prince, 
commanding  Second  Division  of  Banks'  Army  Corps;  killed 
at  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Va.,  Aug.  1862. 

I  regret  to  state  that  Maine  has  to  her  credit  (or  dis 
credit)  the  fact  that  several  of  her  sons,  born  within  her 
borders  and  educated  at  West  Point  at  the  public's  expense, 
deserted  the  old  flag  and  fought  for  the  South  and  the  perpet 
uation  of  human  slavery.  The  writer  recalls  three  such  cases. 

Frederick  Lynn  Childs,  born  in  Maine  but  appointed  to 
West  Point  from  North  Carolina,  became  a  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  in  the  artillery  branch  of  the  Confederate  army. 

James  Hoffman  Hill,  born  in  Maine  but  appointed  to 


356  THE  NINETEENTH  MAINE  REGIMENT 

West  Point  from  New  York,  became  a  Major  and  Assistant 
Adjutant-General  in  the  Confederate  service. 

Danville  Leadbetter  was  born  in  and  appointed  to  West 
Point  from  Maine  and  became  a  Brigadier-General  in  the 
Confederate  army.  Leadbetter  never  distinguished  himself 
for  bravery  or  skill  upon  the  battlefield.  He  won  his  doubt 
ful  honors  from  the  Confederacy  by  reason  of  his  brutal  and 
fiendish  persecution  of  Union  men  and  women  and  their 
families  in  East  Tennessee. 


n.  14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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